New Girl in the Forest
by TheSpectrum890
Summary: When Vanessa finds a flock of people, people like her, she does what she always does. Helps herself to Dr Pepper. No Fax, or Mang, or whatever. the only romance is between Dylan and Vanessa, cuz Dylan rox. Rated for language and possible gore.
1. My discovery

"Oh my gosh," I mutter, sitting up on the branch of my most recent tree house.

Of course, it isn't much of a tree _house, _so much as a tree I live in. For now, anyway. They're always after me. The Erasers, the horrible, disturbing, ugly mishaps the School used to do their dirty work. I clench my fists, the bark peeling from the branch. The scar on my arm tightens, making me wince.

_Duh, _I think_, nobody fixed it up. _

_Or you didn't let anyone fix it up, _my smart, sensible side thinks.

_Shut up, sensible side._

I roll my eyes at myself, climbing up the tree and unfurling my gray-and-white twelve-foot wings. Call me a mutant. Call me Avian-American. I don't give a crap. I have wings. I fly. Oh, joy!

I lunge into the air, flapping my wings a few times before zipping off through the early Wyoming air. Adrenaline pumps its way into my veins, giving me enough energy to quicken my speed. In about 45 minutes, I pass the Wyoming-Colorado border. I grin at the evergreens below me, pitying them all for being trapped on the ground. I see some geese, and I wave at them. They spaz and fly away, a few losing altitude before fighting their way back to their position in the goose triangle. I remember in a book I read that they do that for a reason—something that has to do with the wind—but I can't recall it. Ah, well.

I see a nice, first-class-looking jet and wave at its passengers. Of course, they're all adults, so none are staring out the window. But… wait. There's someone. A woman, with wavy black hair. She catches my eye, her own widening. I grin, continuing to wave. She waves back. I take my chances and fly close to the window. "Hello!" I call, mouthing the words as clearly as I can.

I can read lips, so I see her say, _Hello, where did you get your wings? Are you friends with Maximum, my daughter?_

What kind of a name is Maximum? "I don't know a Maximum!"

_She lives back to the east! Just go east from here; you'll meet the flock!_

The flock? Of what, parrots? Dogs? Cats? Fish? I'm not very educated. As I get ready to respond, the jet is already far ahead. Looking back, I could've caught up, but I decided not to.

I roll my eyes, using my built-in compass to find my way east. With an exaggerated _boom_, I'm flying at speeds over 400 miles-per-hour. I see a house in the distance, on the edge of a cliff, shaped like an _E._ I slow down and descend, plopping down on its porch with a _thud._

"Hello? Anyone here? Anyone at all?" I call, kicking open the locked door with ease.

A guy appears, tensing at the sight of me. I had folded my wings, so I look like a normal person with windblown hair.

"Who are you? How did you get the door open?" I notice then he's in only a towel, and that's wrapped around his waist.

"I don't like your questions. Can I pass?" I say, walking past him as if I live here, in the house I've never seen before.

"No. Answer them. NOW," he says. I feel his dark eyes on my back, watching my every move.

I examine the couch. "Fine. Whatever. I'm Vanessa. I kicked it."

"You… what? You _kicked _it? I can't even kick it open!" he races out the door, closing it behind him. In a minute, I hear his foot bang against the door. He keeps it up for a few minutes before walking back in, key in hand.

"Ooh, real smooth, keeping a key under the doormat or wherever. If I had known about that, I wouldn't have a foot that isn't sore," I comment, at the sight of the guy rubbing his foot.

"How…" he shakes his head, "I'm Fang."

I laugh. "How do you like having a dog name?"

His mouth opens, then his hands form fists and he lunges at me. In less than a second, I'm at the other side of the room.

"Gonna have to be faster than that," I chirp, then I jump across the room and land on his shoulders.

"Oh! Hello! How'd you get underneath me?" I tease, leaping off him and onto the coffee table.

He tries to play the impossible game of Try-To-Catch-Vanessa, and—like all the others—he fails. Fang ends up with his butt in the sink, furious with all my insults.

"My grandma fights better than you, and she's dead!" I laugh, unfurling my wings a bit.

Fang's eyes widen, and he chokes out, "You're like us!"

I raise an eyebrow. "Like you? No, no, no. I fight much better than you."

"I meant the wings." He unfurls his own set of black wings.

"I've seen kids morph into insects that are as big as a gnat. I'm not impressed. Maybe I could give you some gills?" I muse, grabbing a kitchen knife and twirling it around.

"I have gills! I swear!" Fang says, and he sounds completely sincere.

I sigh, setting the knife on the counter. "I don't trust you, but I won't kill you, either."

"Thanks."

Just then, more people burst in, laughing.

"Dylan, I can't _believe_ you just said what I think you said!" A girl's voice says.

"Well, you'd better, because I really did say it," A guy's voice, smooth as honey, replies.

"Everyone, take what's yours to your room. Dylan, take these," there's a sound of paper bags, "to the kitchen and put them on the counter. Jeb'll put them away." Another girl's voice says. Hers sounds older, a bit rough, too.

A few 'Okays' follow that, then a guy walks into the kitchen. He has **({[A/N= right here, I had to run around my house looking for the book Fang, then I had to open a new Safari window to look it up when I couldn't find the book. Just sayin'.]}) **dark blonde hair, and eyes the color of the Caribbean. He's taller than Fang, and more muscular, too. His eyes get huge when he sees me, but he doesn't drop the brown paper bags.

"Hmm. You know, you should really get reusable bags for shopping. It saves trees." I comment, brushing past him to meet the other new people.

**Dylan's P.O.V.**

When I first see the girl in the kitchen, the only thought in my mind is, _Oh my God, who is this girl? _ In a moment, my mind actually slips from Max, shifting to a new girl. But who is she?

"Vanessa. Her name is Vanessa," Fang mumbles, pushing himself up from the sink.

I resist a chuckle. "I presume she told you before she kicked your ass?"

"STFU, freak."

We suddenly hear a quick shriek in the next room, probably from Max. I set the bags on the counter, next to a knife Fang probably tried to use to defend himself with. I dive into the other room, where Iggy and Nudge are holding Max back, the new girl in front of them.

The girl reaches her finger forward, poking Max's forehead. Then she screams, "POKE OF DOOM!" and collapses in a fit of laughter. Everyone else laughs, too, even me. Well, everyone but Max, anyway. Max is writhing around in Nudge and Iggy's grip, trying to escape. She looks ready to claw the new girl—Vanessa's—throat out. I trot over and take Max's arms, and Nudge and Iggy let go. Max struggles to get away, but I pull some handcuffs from a nearby drawer—don't ask—and cuff her to the doorknob. She jiggles it and tries to pick the lock, but the two lock-pickers in the house are watching Vanessa laugh. She gives up and stares at the girl in disdain.

"I bet you're an Eraser. We know they're making girls now." Max has had this temper since Fang left then came back a year later.

"They've been making girl Erasers for the past 13 years, as far as I know. 'Course, I did have the inside scoop. Everyone knew that Garrett liked me best." Vanessa says, picking herself up and facing Max.

"Well, I haven't been in a cage for over 2 years. I wouldn't know," she returns, but Vanessa isn't fazed. She just walks into the kitchen. We hear the door of the fridge open, then we hear a quick, unexpected question.

"Got any Dr Pepper?"

I'm beginning to think that you can't be programmed to love.

**A/N= Sorry for those who are addicted to Max, but I don't like her. That's why she has a temper. This is what I see in her. Anyway, Vanessa is the only one I own. Nobody else. **

**PS= I like Dylan better than Fang!**


	2. I 'let it all out'

"I think you're in desperate need to try and pop my bubble. It won't work. My bubble's pop-proof," I say, just trying to get on Max and Fang's nerves.

It works. "I swear when you sleep, I'll—"

Dr. Martinez cuts Max off. "Max." She says sternly, then, to me, she says, "When I saw you out my window, I was so confused. I thought you were Max for a moment, until I saw your black hair. I was yelling at myself the whole way back, then I called Jeb, and he got a private jet to pick me up as soon as possible."

"So, Vanessa," Nudge begins. Uh-oh. I've learned that she talks. A lot. "Where did you escape from? Did you do it on your own? We all had help from Jeb, but then he betrayed us and became a white-coat. He likes Max best and we all know it, but I really don't mind. I don't think Max minds, either."

"Do you like being Daddy's wittle girl?" I coo at Max, who is about to hit me until Fang rests a hand on her shoulder. She calms down.

"Oh, yeah. You know it."

"I bet you just wove the wittle pwincess dolls he buys you! And the drwesses! Aw, you'd look so cute in a drwess!"

This causes Max to take a deep breath. Fang whispers soothing words to her like a therapist. I laugh. Then, surprising everyone, Iggy calls, really loudly: "Hey, Max, I got those adult diapers you wanted!"

We all laugh, apart from Max and Fang. Max finally lunges out of Fang's grip and punches Iggy, then she steps back, realizing what she did.

"Ig, I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean…"

"It's fine. You need to work out more," he breathes, standing back up from where he had fallen on the couch. "I'm sorry for making fun of you."

The two hug, and I can't resist it.

"Aw! How cute! One big happy family!"

Max glares at me, like, _I will murder you in your sleep,_ so I back off and go get another Dr Pepper.

I hear strains of conversation from the living room—about me. I sharpen my hearing and eavesdrop on them.

Gazzy's first: "Can we keep her?"

Max: "No."

Jeb: "Max, be reasonable. She's like you."

Max: "So? Dylan's like me, too. That doesn't mean I have to like him."

Dylan: "Way to boost my self-esteem."

Jeb: "Max, please…"

I grab another Dr Pepper and trot in. "Please what?"

Everyone stares at me. "Nothing." Jeb says, then he turns on the TV.

Angel reaches for the remote, only to have it fly out of her hands…and into Nudges.

"Nudge! I hate that power!"

"Too bad!"

"Rawr. Dr. Martinez, she took the remote!"

I roll my eyes, and the remote disappears for a moment before reappearing in my hand. I hand the remote to Angel. "Here you go."

The 'flock' stares at me. "What?"

"You just… made that object… teleport to your hand…" Dylan makes out.

I nod. "Yeah. That's not the only thing, though. Listen, I heard the scientists talking about you. They said that you're nothing compared to the latest batch, which is soon to be my 'flock'."

Jeb nods. "I heard about that. Mind telling me more?"

"Yeah, Nessa, tell us more?" I decide to ignore the new nickname Angel just gave me.

"Well, the scientists gave the batch the ability to hear, see, and smell things that are far away. They're faster, stronger, and more agile than any of you. They can all do most of the things you can, like the fart thing, the mind stuff, and the super speeds. You know? I, actually, can go over 600 miles per hour. Not quite the speed of sound, but pretty dang close. My skin is almost impenetrable, but I can still bleed internally."

**Dylan's POV**

_She can still bleed internally. Remember that, _I think, adding to my mental notes. I've got a few pages about what not to do around Max, nothing to do around her, but I have about six pages of notes on Vanessa.

"So, Vanessa, what lab are you from?" I ask.

She glances at me, her eyes lingering for a moment. "Hmm? Oh. Lab. I don't know. One in Maine, I think. I've been out for about a day or two. Of course, I did stop to sightsee. I went and had some Mackinac Island fudge, I went to the Mall of America, I sat on top of the _Y _on the _Hollywood_ sign, I went to Disneyland… not in that order, of course."

"You went to the _Mall of America?_ That's, like, the biggest mall in the country! You've _got_ to take me there sometime!" Nudge gushes.

Max looks offended. "Nudge, I would take you!"

Total, the dog, yips, "Yeah, but you spaz about Erasers a lot when we go to the mall. I don't think it's a good idea you go to such a crowded landmark. You could blow it up for no reason."

Another insult and Max is gonna burst. "Well, Total, why not you take her?"

"As long as I get to keep your wallet."

"No."

"Then I won't take her."

"Ugh! Just shut up already! You people give me headaches." Vanessa says, and it looks like she means it.

All of a sudden, her eyes roll back in her head, and she would've collapsed if I hadn't rushed up and caught her. I knew Fang or Iggy or Jeb wouldn't have, since they weren't close enough. I lift her up, bridal style, and she actually seems to be as light as a bird. A fat chickadee, maybe, but a small bird.

"She can sleep in my bed!" Nudge cries, racing to open the door to her room, "My room has a couch, so I can sleep there!"

Right, we got all those extensions and renovations. I had forgotten. I follow Nudge into her room, where I wait for her to pull down the blankets to I can slide Vanessa under them.

I stare down at the small girl I hold in my arms. Her head lolls on my shoulder, and she smiles peacefully in her sleep. I smile softly, too. She looks so cute when she sleeps. I mentally kick myself. I was created to love Max, right?

_But what if you don't want to love Max? _

What if…

**A/N=Hey hey, people! I know; I have no life. I posted both this chapter and the last one on the same day, and neither is very good. (Sigh) I suppose I can't just give up on this, right? Sigh. Loneliness.**


	3. My little chat

I retreat to the room Jeb and Dr. Martinez prepared for me after dinner is over. The room is small, with only a twin size bed, a nightstand, and a dresser, but it's big enough long ways for me to spread my wings.

I collapse on the bed, pulling out the pocket notepad Garrett made me keep. Of course, I need to record my progress.

Date: 5-17-11

Time: 6:38 PM

Entry: I did it. I found the flock Garrett told me to find. The scientists will finally stop torturing Cal and Tiffany! I wonder how they're doing…_NO._ I mustn't think of them now. I'm so close. All I have to do is kill them; but…can I? I know I'm strong enough physically, but what about mentally? Will I be able to live with the knowledge that I killed some innocent kids? Yes. I need to. For Cal and Tiff. If I don't, they'll be trapped with those murderers that call themselves scientists. What am I supposed to do?

I sigh, closing the notepad and sliding it into a pocket inside my jacket. I zip it closed, feeling it settle against the side of my chest.

As I open a window, there's a knock at the door. I bounce onto the bed, calling casually, "C'mon in!"

The tall, muscley one—Dylan—opens the door and walks in. "Hey. Vanessa, right? Doesn't that mean 'butterfly'?"

I wonder if he's trying to be smooth. "Yep. To both. Oh, and, hi. What do you want?"

His amusement only shows in his expressive eyes. "I just came to say hello; to see how you're doing."

"And to see what I think of everyone and why I'm here," I add, smirking.

He chuckles. "Wow. You surprise me every time I talk to you."

"Get used to it. I'm full of surprises." _Like the one where I'm supposed to kill you._

I trot over to the open window, where I slide out of the sill and down. I let myself drop… drop… drop down the side of the cliff. Just as I'm about to get squished, I unfurl my wings and sail to the top of the cliff, zipping past Dylan, higher and higher into the sky.

I take a deep breath once I get to the oxygen-scarce air. I remember my lessons from the lab, or the School, or whatever. If I breathe deeply through my nose, I'll be fine, no matte how long I'm up here. I spread my wings slowly and glide peacefully. This is what I live for.

"Hey!"

I glare down. Far below me is the flock themselves, soaring through the air below me. My enhanced ears hear them calling to one another.

It was Gazzy who had spoken.

"Yeah, Gaz?" Max asks. She seems more relaxed up here, but I recall she's the one I need to take out first, since she's the leader.

"What do you think of Vanessa?" Gazzy asks.

"I hate her," Max replies with no hesitation.

"Yeah. She's a bit too strong for my taste," Fang adds.

"You're only saying that 'cause she kicked your butt," Nudge jokes.

"No!" Fang growls, "It's because she could've been sent here to kill us. Who knows?"

"I think she's an escapee, like all of you," Dylan says.

"I think we should just let her stay, to see," Total mutters from his position in Iggy's arms.

"Fine. She stays, for now. I'm not happy about it," Max sighs.

For how long?

**Dylan's POV**

I shake my head, attempting to clear my thoughts. I can't stop thinking about Vanessa. Her radiant emerald eyes; her long, straight black hair; her defiant attitude. Even her love of Dr Pepper causes my heart to race.

"Dylan!" Iggy's voice penetrates my thoughts.

"Huh? Sorry, what?" I flush, feeling like an idiot.

Max glares at me. "Never mind. Forget it."

"Max, come on…" I begin.

"Shut it."

"She asked if you like flying at night better than during that day," Nudge whispers to me, earning another glare from Max.

"Well then, yeah. It's more peaceful," I answer, even though Max is now ignoring me.

"It was _really_ peaceful, until you all showed up and started yammering!" snaps a voice from high above us. Vanessa drops down from her area above us. She stops next to me, then hovers there. I wait for her, slowing down a bit, until she decides to fly next to me. Max and the others continue to fly ahead, but Vanessa and I stay back.

"So, how's life?" She asks, pushing me slightly.

I push her back. "Pretty good, now that you showed up. Life was getting boring."

She blinks. Is that a blush I see rising to her cheeks? "Ah. Yeah. I've been livin' a busy life, just Mr. Supreme and me. We go everywhere together." She grins.

"Mr. Supreme?" I question, raising an eyebrow.

She nods, then lets out a loud, shrill whistle. Suddenly, a shadow passes over the ground below us. A huge hawk lands on Vanessa's arm, even as she flies.

"This is Mr. Supreme I call him Preme. Isn't that right, Preme?" She coos to the falcon. It seems to nod.

I laugh in surprise and wonder. "You have a pet hawk?"

She covers the sides of the hawk's head with her hands. "No! I don't! I have a _falcon!_ A _fal-con!_"

"Sorry! You have a pet falcon?" I repeat, laughing again.

"Yes. I do. Is there a problem with that?"

"Not at all. Max'll be jealous."

"I don't give a crap if she's jealous or not. She… she doesn't like me," Vanessa sounds like she's going to suddenly cry.

"She's just suspicious, that's all. It's nothing to cry about!" I say.

She glares at me. "I wasn't going to cry," she snaps, but I still see tears on her cheeks.

I feel my eyes soften, and I reach out and touch her arm. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

She turns away. "Yeah, right." She squeezes her eyes shut, and I see the tears dripping off her chin and down into the trees below us. Her black hair streams out behind her as we fly, and I'm reminded yet again of how beautiful she is.

I stop, and she stops, too. I descend into a tall tree, and she comes down and perches on the same branch as I'm on. I gently lean in and kiss her on the cheek, then I leap down and race off through the forest toward home.

Maybe this can work.

**A/N= I wrote most of this in French, so some of it was rushed. Every time my teacher walked by, I was all 'No! Don't look! I'm doing French stuff!' So... yeah.**


	4. Tears are for me, one of the weak

"I don't know why, but she's been awfully cheerful late—" Nudge stops in mid-sentence when I skip into the room.

I scan everyone's faces. Dylan's eyes gleam thoughtfully; Max looks like she's holding back from ripping my throat out; Fang and Iggy are emotionless; Gazzy, Angel, and Nudge all stare at me grinning; and Dr. Martinez and Jeb gaze at me like they don't know what to do with me.

I smile at them cheerfully. "Morning!"

Everyone mutters good morning, except Nudge, who says, " Good morning, Vanessa!" even more cheerfully than me.

I walk into the kitchen, ready to help myself to Lucky Charms and Dr Pepper, when I hear Jeb's voice.

"I want everyone to get to know Vanessa. So, when you go flying, I want one of you to fly with her all the time. Get to know her; let her get to know you. Is that clear?"

"Can I go first?" Angel asks.

Jeb begins to answer, but I trot in, Lucky Charms box and Dr Pepper can in hand. "Did I miss something? I heard you talking, I think."

"I think Max should go first!" Gazzy suddenly exclaims.

We all stare at him. "Go first for what?" I ask, with perfect ignorance.

"We decided—" Nudge is cut off by Max's hand over her mouth.

"Go flying. Do you want to come?" Max's offer is strained, by the sound of it.

I chug down my soda and put away the cereal box. "Sure, I'd love to!" I say, before racing out the door, off the porch, and into the air; the early summer sun is warm on my wings.

I hear the flock take off behind me, and as I climb to the sky, Max catches up to me.

"Hey, how's it going?" I ask, just like I always greeted Will.

_Will…_ I miss him.

"Hey, Vanessa. I need to… apologize."

My eyes widen. "For what?"

"For how I acted yesterday. I feel like I was built to be suspicious. Sorry."

"It's okay. Hug?" I ask, already making my way to a tree.

She follows. "Alright, fine."

We land in the tree and hug. "I'm sorry, too, for being so mean. I think I actually was created to be like that, and I fight it as often as I can.

She laughs. "Think this'll work?"

"Yeah, I do."

"But Fang is _mine,"_ Max growls; only half-joking.

"I don't even want him. It's fine."

Max breathes a huge sigh. "Wow. I never apologize, like, ever. It feels really weird."

"I don't even remember the last time I apologized!" I laugh.

"Yeah, I think we'll be great friends!" Max's laugh is so much like Amber's…

_I hope not. I don't want to kill my friend, _I think darkly.

"Come on, let's go to the flock." I say.

We fly out to the flock, laughing and joking around on our way. I hear Iggy whisper to Fang, "Are they faking it? I can't tell." Then Fang's reply, "It doesn't seem like it. They must've come to an agreement."

"Not exactly," Max and I say at the same time, then we laugh.

"Wow. The impossible just became possible." Dylan mutters in wonder.

Max ignores him, while I gasp and say, "It wasn't impossible, just highly unlikely!"

Then I remember last night, and I think of Will again. I fight the tears away before they reach my eyes.

_Get a hold on yourself, Vanessa. Tears are for the weak. _I scold myself.

"So, Vanessa, when you were in Disneyland, did you go on Space Mountain?" Gazzy asks.

"No, Gasman, that's Disney_world._ I went to the one in California," I correct him.

"Oh, well, we went to Disneyworld once. We went on Space Mountain. We got souvenirs. Did you get souvenirs, Vanessa?" Nudge asks.

"I did, but I didn't get them for me," I mention.

"Who are they for?"

I let my smile fade, and my gaze drops to the trees below us. "Just… some people." I answer cryptically.

"Who? Are they nice? Did you meet them in Hollywood? Are they _boys?_" nudge questions.

"Some are boys," I say, getting a little annoyed.

"Who are they? Come on, Nessa, tell us!" Angel pleads.

"They're my flock, alright? That's who! They might be dead, anyway!" I shout, the tears finally springing to my eyes. I brush them away and zoom off, pouring no the speed. I fly ahead until I'm out of sight, then I find a cave in the mountainside. I land inside it, and once I'm as far back as the cave goes, which is about 20 feet, I curl up on the floor in a fetal ball. I allow the dam to break and silent tears to trail down my cheeks. Thoughts of my flock—my family—fill my mind. Will… Tiffy… Cal… Amber… Justin. Their faces, their voices, their familiar attitudes flood my despairing brain.

Suddenly, all of their faces become bloody, and their cheerful voices convert to screams of terror.

"NO!" I screech, covering my ears as if my tortured family's shrieks are outside my head, not inside.

Later on, I'm vaguely aware of Max's flock discovering my cavern. I hear them call my name, but I don't pay any attention. I just tighten my hands over my ears as the screeches of my flock grow louder the more I try to tune them out.

When I feel arms around me, I don't resist. I let Dylan lift me up and race out of the cave, followed by the rest of the flock. In a few minutes, the screams fade, replaced by my jumbled thoughts. Finally, some peace. I relax as dreams pull me under, for what I hope is t be the last time.

**Dylan's POV**

When I see Vanessa, curled up in a ball on the muddy, rocky, cold floor, my whole heart sinks. She doesn't belong on such muck, let alone in a cave!

"Vanessa?" Max calls.

"Hey, Nessa!" Angel shouts.

We all call to her, but all she does it tighten her grip on her head. Otherwise, she looks dead, laying on the floor with her back to us.

Finally, I walk over to her and pick her up. She's still close to weightless in my arms, so I race to the front of the cave and take off without the burden of weight. The flock follows me.

We fly all the way home, no stops, no words. Jeb and Dr. Martinez gaze at us worriedly when we walk in, but I ignore them and go straight to Vanessa's temporary room. Max and Nudge follow, sitting on her bed and pressing the blankets up around her chin.

"You can leave now," Max suggests with a glare.

I roll my eyes, but I leave the room, closing the door behind me. Once in the hall, I sit down, my back against the door. Max and Nudge won't let anyone in through the window, and I don't let anyone in through the door.

Throughout the day, people come to check on Vanessa—apart from Fang—and I always tell them the same thing.

"She's fine. No need to worry," I continue to say. Everyone looks at me with the same thing in their eyes that I told them not to do. Worry.

Nudge peeks out from behind the door, and I stand up and peer over her shoulder. "How is she?"

"Still asleep. She hasn't woken up once. She's doing that REM thing—Rapid Eye Movement. It's as if she's having a nightmare, 'cause she keeps tossing and turning and muttering, 'what if I don't want to?' and 'No! Stop!' and a bunch of names." Nudge explains.

"Whose names?" I ask, staring at Vanessa's sleeping form.

"Um… Cal, Amber, Justin, Tiffany, and Will. Will is the most frequent."

"Her flock," I guess, my eyes drifting down to Nudge's anxious face.

"Yeah, that's what Max thinks too. I just came to get us some food."

I'm already walking down the hallway. "Stay with her, I'll get you something."

I ear her call out "Okay," then I hear the door close. I meet Iggy in the hall, and I ask him to make Max's favorite food.

"Sure," He says, retreating to the kitchen.

I collapse on the couch, the extra puffy one. Jeb walks in and asks how Vanessa's doing, and I repeat the most common lie. "She's fine."

"Are you sure? I saw Nudge's face, and she looked really apprehensive."

"She just hasn't woken up yet. Not like she's in a coma. Just leave her alone."

Jeb purses his lips, and his eyebrows knit together. "Alright, I suppose I should. Tell me if she changes."

"Like if she dies," Fang butts in.

_If she dies,_ I think, _I don't think I'll be able to bear it._


	5. Get to know me!

My first thought when my eyes open is _oh my God, that was the weirdest dream EVER._

In my dream, I was here in the flock's house, but Fang, Iggy, and Gazzy were all sitting on the couch reading a _Playboy _magazine. Max, Nudge, and Angel all were giggling, wearing tutus, and painting their nails, and also plastering their faces with enough makeup to make them look almost just like clowns. Then, Dylan walked into the room and _kissed me._ Like, on the _lips._ I melted into it, then I heard a sadly familiar voice behind me.

"Vanessa, who's this? Where are we?"

I was Will's voice.

I spun around, but Dylan's arms were suddenly around me, and his seductive grin turning into a scowl. "Where do you think you're going?"

I tried to pull away, letting strength flow through my extra-powerful muscles. "To my boyfriend!"

"Oh no, you're not!" He said, then his hand goes up to my neck, but instead of caressing it, his fingernails clawed it like a lion's. I tried to shriek, but no sound came out. I turned to Will for help, but he just shook his head in despair and raced out of the room.

"No…NO!" I screamed, but the blood only poured from my wounds faster. Soon, my skin turned pale, and I fell to the ground. Fang only glanced up from his Playboy for a moment, and the girls totally ignored me.

Slowly… slowly… my body turned a zombielike green, my cheeks caved in, and my limbs turned too skinny to be alive. My skin slowly withered. My eye socket caved in so deep I couldn't see my eyes. I was watching myself decompose.

That's when I—thank God—woke up.

Max and Nudge stare at me, worry clear in their eyes. "Ness? You alright?" Max asks.

I nod, barely. "I feel like I just got run over by a stampede of elephants, or maybe sat on by a whale. _Ow,_" I mutter.

Nudge comes in for a hug, and I wince. She's got a strong grip.

There's a knock at the door. "Hey, Max, Nudge! I got you some more food," Dylan's voice calls. He walks in, and I fall back down, pretending to be asleep.

"Thanks, Dylan," Nudge sighs gratefully. I hear her start to chow down on the food.

"No problem. Is… is she awake yet?" He asks worriedly.

"Yeah, she's faking it. Come on, Ness. Get up," Nudge says.

I let out a long breath, sitting up and grimacing. "Rawr. I _hurt._ Like, _bad._ Dylan, did you drop me on the way here?" I moan.

"No, I didn't. I'm glad you're awake, though. We were all worried. Apart from Fang, but that's just because you kicked his ass." Dylan chuckles, and I feel surprisingly safe with him here.

"True. Do you have any painkiller? Like, Advil or something?" I whine, hoping it works.

"No. We don't really need painkiller. Our pains go away really quickly. Since you're the advanced version of all of us, you shouldn't be in any pain at all, with all the sleep you got," Max says.

"All the sleep I got? What do you mean? How long was I out?" It only felt like a minute.

"Two days. Do you normally sleep in that long?" Nudge asks.

I sigh. "No. I should really start getting regular hours of sleep, shouldn't I?"

"Do I hear talking in here?" Iggy's voice calls. In a moment we see him emerge from behind the door.

"Yeah, you do," I answer.

He walks in, his reddish-blonde hair shaggy from sleep. "Hi. You're awake."

"No _duh._" I mutter; annoyed from how long I slept.

"Well, do you want me to tell Angel or Gazzy?"

"No need!" Angel shouts from her room, which I now know is right next to mine. "I got this great idea! Can you guys come in here? Bring Gazz and Fang, will ya?"

The others glance at each other; then trot out of the room, calling for Gazzy and Fang. I hear Angel talk to them about one person going into my room to talk to me, while everyone else went flying, and get to know me for about an hour, then they'd fly out and get another person to do the same thing. The flock gradually agrees, then I hear them take off out of Angel's window.

My door opens, and Angel herself walks in, closing the door behind me. "You should be an actress when you get older. You're good at pretending," are her opening words.

"Listen, sweetie, they don't know I can hear through walls, so no telling. 'Kay?" I ask.

"Alright. And who was that guy in your dream? Do you have a crush on Dylan?" Angel questions.

"The guy was my Fang. You know those goggly eyes Max makes at him? Well, imagine me doing that to him. He's my right-wing man. My partner. My best friend," I explain.

"What about the Dylan thing?"

"No, I don't have a crush on Dylan, but I know he has a crush on me. I can read minds, too, but I try not to," I wink at her.

_So we can talk through our minds whenever we want? _I hear Angel's sweet, angelic voice in my head.

_Yep! Anytime you want, sweets. I'm here for ya, _I answer.

"That's so cool!" she exclaims.

I nod. "Yeppers. I bet you can't do this with Max at any distance!"

She shakes her head vigorously.

We talk and talk, and when the clock chimes 11 times, she calls to someone with her mind and flies off.

_**DON'T MIND ME I'M JUST A COUPLE ENTERS!**_

In about 20 minutes, there's a knock at my door. I stop smelling the perfume samples from the magazines on the nightstand and sit straight up. "Come on in!"

Iggy walks in. "Why does it smell like perfume in here?"

I hide the leftover samples under the pillow. "I dunno."

"Hmm." He sits on the edge of the bed. "So, how do you like it here?"

I shrug. "It's okay, I guess. It's not home, but…"

"I get it. Back before our little summer break, we used to feel like that all the time."

"Oh. I still feel like that. Wherever I go."

He smiles warmly. "You must be used to it by now, then."

I shrug. "Sure."

We keep talking, and soon, he shows me his ability to 'see' colors. I blink, close my eyes, and I try too. I pretend I don't see the entire image in vibrant colors.

When the clock chimes 12, I send Angel a message. _We're done._

Iggy leaves, and half an hour of perfume samples later, Fang taps on my window. Hard. As in, the window almost breaks. I roll my eyes and open the window. He climbs in and is about to leave the room when I stop him.

"If you leave, I'll tell Angel," I threaten.

He decides to stay, but we just sit in the room in an awkward silence.

Finally, an hour later, the clock bongs 1, and he leaves. I tell Angel, and Max comes. Another hour later, Gazzy arrives. After that, Nudge, and then, just when I think it's over, there's a slight tap at my door.

_**DON'T MIND ME I'M JUST A LINE BREAK!**_

**Dylan's POV**

I knock on Vanessa's door. I was beginning to think Angel would never say it's my turn, but finally, after everyone had been here, she said the words.

"Dylan, your turn."

I flew here as fast as I could, thoughts of Vanessa buzzing through my head like a hive of angry bees.

"Come on in. Dude, those words are getting annoying. GET IN HERE." I hear Vanessa call.

I step in, closing the door behind me. There she sits, perfect and rebellious as ever, lounging on the bed, smelling of lilacs and fake sunshine.

I examine the magazines scattered about the bed. "Having fun?"

She rolls her eyes. "Let's just say that fake perfume isn't as bad as I thought."

I laugh. "Wow."

"Wow what?"

"I was just reminded again of how amazing you are."

She sucks in a breath. I see her lower her gaze and fiddle with the edge of a frayed pillowcase. She doesn't say a word.

"Sorry, did I say something wrong? It was just a compliment."

She swallows. "No, it's fine. I'm—thank you."

"Hey," I murmur, sitting down on the bed. "I'm sorry, did I bring up… memories?"

Her head jerks up. "What do you mean?"

"Of… Will?"

"How do you know who Will is?"

"You talk in your sleep."

She lowers her head again. "Oh. Sorry."

I set my hand on hers. "What did you dream about, Vanessa?"

She closes her eyes. "Nothing. I don't dream."

"Please don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Admit it."

"Admit what? I'm not lying."

"Yeah, you really are. I know you are."

"Prove your knowledge. Double check."

"I don't need to, I know you're lying. Just tell the truth."

"No."

"Ha!" I shout in victory. "You admit it! You lied!"

She lifts her gaze, a slight smile on her face. "Do you enjoy arguing with girls?"

I laugh. "Oh yeah. I live for it."

"I'm sure you do."

"So, you wanna tell me what you dreamed about?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Please?"

"Stop it! Stop arguing with me!" She exclaims, the smile gone.

"Sorry, sorry."

"You should be." She curls up in a ball, mimicking her position in the cave.

I rest my hand on her shoulder. She doesn't shrug it off. That's a good sign. "Vanessa, you're the best girl I've ever met. I'm sorry."

She sighs. "You were there. So was Will."

"What do you mean?"

"In my dream. The girls of the flock were doing their nails and playing dress up, and the boys were reading a _Playboy._"

I hold in a laugh. "Go on."

"Then you walked in and kissed me. On the lips. I… er, then Will walked in, and said, 'Vanessa, who's this? Where are we?'" She sucks in a sob.

I squeeze her shoulder. She continues.

"I tried to turn around; to go to him, but you stopped me. Your smile turned all mad, and you said, 'where do you think you're going?' I said… I don't remember what I said then, but you clawed my neck, and I started to bleed. I tried to scream, and I turned to Will for help, but he… he rejected me. My Will… rejected me…" She let out a small cry.

I wrap my arm around her. "Can you go on?"

"Then I screamed, 'No!' but the blood poured from my throat faster. In a second, my skin turned pale, and I collapsed. Fang was the only one who looked, but he didn't do anything. Then I… then my skin turned green like a zombie's, my eye sockets and cheeks became hollow, and my skin withered."

_She was watching her own dead body decompose, _I think, clenching the fist that wasn't around Vanessa.

"I woke up then, thank God," she finishes. Tears are flowing freely, but I wipe them away with my thumbs.

"I'm sorry I made you tell me," I murmur.

She shakes her head. "Thanks. I needed to get that out."

I glance at the digital clock. It reads 5:46 PM, so my turn ended 46 minutes ago, but I don't inform Vanessa. She seems so relaxed with me here.

"Dylan," She says after a few minutes.

"Yes?" I ask.

"Please don't leave."

"I've been waiting for you to say those words since I met you," I smile, and she sits up.

"Do you think Will'll forgive me if I do this?" she asks. I can't tell if she's asking me or not.

"I don't know, may—" I'm cut off by Vanessa's lips, suddenly on mine.

She seems a little bit afraid, probably from her dream. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I won't let anything hurt you," I murmur against her lips.

"I know," she answers, and she pulls me closer. I smile softly, savoring the feeling. A thought passes through my head, and I grin, but we continue to kiss.

_Who's Max?_

**A/N= Aww, how cute! I was wondering when I'd be able to get Dylan and Vanessa alone so they could kiss, and here they are! They make such a cute couple, don't you think?**


	6. On the lam

**A/N= Hey, peoples. Snow days are great for writing, don't you think? Oh, and, Raven at Midnight, you'll just have to find out, now, won't you?**

_**DON'T MIND ME I'M JUST A LINE BREAK!**_

It's been, I don't know, five days since we kissed? Ever since, we've been catching each other staring. Now, as we sit on opposite sides of the long oak dinner table, our eyes meet and lock for a bit longer than usual. The others don't notice, they just think we're staring straight ahead, but we know that gazing into pits of secrets are definitely not just staring at walls.

"So, Vanessa, how do you like it here?" Iggy asks, breaking the silence.

"Oh, it's alright. But I…" I drop off, my words and my gaze.

"What?" Dylan asks, a bit curious. Everyone leans forward in their seats.

"I have to leave," I murmur too quietly for anyone to hear.

"What was that?" Angel inquires.

"I need to leave," I say louder.

"But…Vanessa! You've been here for…" Gazzy trails off, counting on his fingers.

"A week too long. You shouldn't be happy I found you. Any of you. I… I have a mission that I'd rather not be on, but I am. I need to pretend I don't know where you went, because my mission… is kind of… um…"

"It's to find us, isn't it?" Angel asks.

I nod, ever so slightly. "Yes," I whisper.

The flock rests against the back of their chairs, astounded.

I stand up quickly, not bothering with my untouched plate. "I'm sorry, I need to leave. It was nice while it lasted."

"Please don't leave! I'll miss you!" Gazzy exclaims.

I pat him on the head. "Sorry, kid. I gotta go. Good bye, everyone." I rush out of the room, thankfully not followed by anyone.

Soon, I'm speeding through the air, over 500 mph.

"MY LIFE SUCKS! AHHHHH! JUST WHEN I START TO FEEL COZY, JUST WHEN I KISS A GUY WHO'S TOTALLY HOT, MY MISSION SENSES KICK IN! STUPID LAB! STUPID WINGS!" I screech, the wind ripping the words from my mouth.

A few geese fly over near me, and a cuss at them. Totally unlike me, I know, but I don't like me. At all. I suck. My life sucks.

"Shut it, brain. You're too pessimistic and depressing," I shout to hear myself. Then for absolutely no sole purpose, I start to sing. It's a song I heard on the radio, and I had remembered the lyrics, so I sang…

_I know I can't take one more step towards you_

'_Cause all that's waiting is regret_

_Don't know you I'm not your ghost anymore_

_You lost the love I loved the most_

_I learned to live, half alive_

_And now you want me one more time_

_Who do you think you are?_

_Runnin' 'round leaving scars_

_Collecting your jar of hearts_

_Tearing love apart_

_You're gonna catch a cold_

_From the ice inside your soul_

_Don't come back for me_

_Who do you think you are?_

_I hear you're asking all around_

_If I am anywhere to be found_

_But I have grown too strong_

_To ever fall back in your arms_

_I've learned to live, half alive_

_And now you want me one more time_

_Who do you think you are? _

_Runnin' 'round leaving scars_

_Collecting your jar of hearts_

_Tearing love apart_

_Your gonna catch a cold _

_From the ice inside your soul_

_Don't come back to me_

_Who do you think you are?_

_It took so long just to feel all right_

_Remember how to put back the light in my eyes_

_I wish I had missed the first time that we kissed_

'_Cause you broke all your promises_

_And now you're back_

_You don't get me back_

_Who do you think you are?_

_Runnin' 'round leaving scars_

_Collecting your jar of hearts_

_Tearing love apart_

_You're gonna catch a cold_

_From the ice inside your soul_

_Don't come back for me_

_Who do you think you are?_

_Who do you think you are?_

_Runnin' 'round leaving scars_

_Collecting your jar of hearts_

_Tearing love apart_

_You're gonna catch a cold_

_From the ice inside your soul_

_Don't come back for me_

_Who do you think you are?_

_Who do you think you are?_

_Who do you think you are?_

_Who do you think you are?_

When I finish, I've probably crossed the border, maybe two, and those nasty little droplets that only the weak use are streaming down my cheeks. At first, I expect Dylan to wipe them away gently and smile, but then I remember that I left. I feel like I was singing that song to the bad side of me, because it fits so dang well.

I suck.

I land on the very top of a tree and stay there, allowing the wind to make my tree sway.

If I had to guess how long I stayed there, I'd say a good six hours. Then I climb down to a thinker branch about a foot or two below me and lean against the trunk. I shiver, then I sit bolt upright.

_SHIIIIIIIITTTTTT!_ I think. My notepad is in my coat pocket, which is _at the flocks' house. _

This is what I get for trying a dramatic exit.

_**DON'T MIND ME I'M JUST A LINE BREAK!**_

**Dylan's POV**

I drift around the house in a daze. She left? Why? What's the problem with finding us? I float into Vanessa's old room. Her bed is still unmade, and her jacket is thrown on the floor where she put it before bed. I lift it up and clench it in my fist. It resists, strangely, so I search it for pockets. Sure enough, there's one on the inside of the black windbreaker. I unzip it and pull out a small blue notepad. Huh. I flip it open. There are entries like a diary, but one specifically catches my eye. One that's dated the day Vanessa arrived.

_Date: 5-17-11_

_Time: 6:38 PM_

_Entry: I did it. I found the flock Garrett told me to find. The scientists will finally stop torturing Cal and Tiffany! I wonder how they're doing… _NO._ I mustn't think of them now. I'm so close. All I have to do is kill them;_

I snap the notepad closed, man-tears in my eyes. She didn't really plan on killing us, did she? Could she? It takes a special person to kill; is she one of those people? Wait…

I force myself to think logically. Vanessa was being blackmailed. The whitecoats are torturing her flock members, and they'll kill them if she doesn't kill us. I know Max would do the same thing Vanessa was going to, if Angel and Gazzy were being tortured.

I decide not to tell the rest of the flock. "I'm going on a flight! Don't follow me or come with me! I'll be back in I-don't-know-how-long!"

"Are you going after Vanessa?" Angel asks from right next to me in her doorway.

"Yeah, I am. Do you know where she is?"

Angel concentrates, then nods a minute later. "She's in Montana, almost in Canada. You'd better leave now, fly north in a perfectly straight line, don't make any stops, and fly the fastest you've ever flown before," she says, but I'm already out the door.

"I'm coming, Ness. Just wait for me.

"Wait for me."

**A/N= I felt as if I needed to add the lyrics so that you didn't need to look them up. Happy snow days!**


	7. I think

**A/N= Oh my goodness! I just checked my email and I saw that, like, 4 people added this story to their favorites! Thank you so much! I never expected to have people like it!**

_**DON'T MIND ME I'M JUST A LINE BREAK!**_

So, here I am, perched in a tree. Here's where another 1 percent of bird DNA comes in, while sitting in trees. I had just stolen a random iPod from a teenage girl around my age, so I'm listening to song pretty good music. I also took some food, so I'm having a tree party, just me, myself, and I. My heart jumps every time a shadow crosses over me, but it's always just Mr. Supreme, checking in on me before flying off to hunt some more. I continue to yell at myself for missing Dylan so much, but I'm glad I have _someone_ to yell at. I remember the days in the lab, when my flock and I were all in our stupid cages. Dylan reminded me of a conversation I had with Will one night after the others had gone to sleep.

"Hey, Will?" I called.

"Yeah, Ness?"

"Do you think we'll ever get out of here?"

He reaches through the bars of our cages and rests his hand on mine, but I pull away. "Yeah, we'll get out. I promise."

"Well, what if you break your promise?" I accuse, my voice rising.

He flinches. "I… I don't know! I guess we'll just have to wait and see, huh?"

I scowl, turning away. "I can't believe you."

"You'd better. I'm not changin'."

"I don't care."

"You should."

"Well, I don't, okay? Just… shut up."

"Okay," He had said, then he had gone to sleep—or pretended.

"Nessa!"

Huh, that's funny. I thought Will didn't say anything else…

"Hey, Vanessa! Is that you?"

Okay, it just got weird. I peer over the pine needles to get a better view of the sky, and something is flying toward me. Something with arms and legs.

"Dylan!" I shout, my heart leaping and grinning from ear to ear.

"Vanessa!" he answers with a smile that could be bigger than mine.

I brace my foot on the branch and push up, gliding smoothly into the air. Dylan catches me, and I wrap my arms around him and bury my face into his neck.

"I'm sorry for leaving. I shouldn't have, but…" I choke out.

"It's alright. And Vanessa? Next time, tell me."

"Tell you what?" I ask, confused.

He pulls away and smiles softly. "I found this," he says, pulling out a familiar blue notepad.

I snatch it out of his hand and throw it as far as I can. "So you know of my real mission," I growl, but I wrap my arms around him again.

His grip on me tightens. "They blackmailed you. Those black hearted fiends blackmailed you."

"I know, and it scares me. Tiffany is only 8, and Cal is only 6. If they die…"

"They won't die, because I won't let them," Dylan growls.

"Dylan, I left something out."

"Yeah?"

"If they…kill…Tiff and Cal, and I still haven't killed your flock, they'll…" I don't continue.

"They'll what, Vanessa? What will they do?"

"They'll kill me, too."

_**DON'T MIND ME, I'M JUST A LINE BREAK!**_

**Dylan's POV**

"They'll _what?"_ I exclaim, accidentally causing Vanessa to flinch. I close my eyes and calm myself down. "No, they won't. I won't let them. I won't let anything hurt you, Vanessa."

"Then they'll kill you, too. They'll kill anyone who stands in their way. Please, please don't protect me. I don't want you to die, too," Vanessa murmurs. I feel her cheeks dampen.

"I will go past the ends of the Earth to protect you, no matter what you say. I don't care if they kill me—"

"But I do!" She cries. "I care if you live or die! If you died, then I'd die, too!"

"No. No. Vanessa, don't say that. Please don't say that."

Then, she pulls her face away from my shoulder and kisses me. I kiss her back—strongly, protectively, hopefully enough to convince her that nothing will stop me from keeping her safe. I grab the back of her neck and pull her closer, and I feel her smile softly against my lips.

"Hey, Dylan?" she murmurs.

"Yes?"

"I think I love you."

**A/N= Sorry for the stupid shortness, and all the dialogue, but it was necessary for an 'I'll protect you' scene. **

**P.S.= Thanks again, all those favors of mine! Mwah mwah! Little French air kisses!**


	8. Go look it up!

**A/N= So, thanks again to those who have this as a favorite! I don't think I can thank you enough! **

_**DON'T MIND ME I'M JUST A LINE BREAK!**_

I purse my lips, closing my eyes. My flock's screams and bloody faces have returned. I don't tell Dylan, but I just grit my teeth and clench my fists. My neck hurts. My head hurts. My heart hurts.

My plan is mostly formed in my head. Dylan's taking me back, but as soon as I can, I'll tell him I have to go to the bathroom. I remember that there's a window with a foggy, stained glass cover, so that no one can 'peek'. So, all I have to do is slip out that and go rescue my flock. Who cares if we get hurt, Amber can heal our injuries with a touch. All I have to do is be a distraction; which is easy for a kid with wings and mind control powers. Ahh, happy plans. Gotta love 'em.

"Hey, Ness?" Dylan asks.

"Yeah, Dylan? What's up?" I reply, straining my sore neck to see our destination.

"Will you leave again?"

Just as I suspected. Good thing I plan ahead. "I have to, Dylan. My flock—my family—is out there, who-knows-how-injured." I know that Amber wouldn't be hurt at all, and she'd heal all the others, but I, of course, don't mention it.

"Then let me go with you."

Typical. "No, this is something I need to do alone." And at that, I speed up, leaving Dylan to eat my feathers.

I give myself a face-palm for being so stupid. _Turn around now, you idiot!_ I yell at myself. So I turn around and go fast enough that Dylan only feels a rush of air. I head toward main, going northeast.

I don't know how long I fly—four hours, maybe five? —but I keep going until I see a sign below me that reads 'Welcome to Maine, the Pine Tree State!' I sigh as I pass over all the evergreens. I remember gliding over these same trees on my own release. Finally, I see the almost-hidden building in the center of miles and miles of forest. I zoom in with my adjustable vision, examining the roof for guards. They're trading shifts, thank God, so I land on the roof, steal a chair with my powers, and relax. When the newest guards come, I ask, "Hey, where've you been? Do you know how long I've been waiting here? God, you do know it's impolite to keep a girl waiting, right?"

The idiots nod incomprehensibly. I roll my eyes and scream at the top of my lungs. "GUARDS, HELP! THESE MADMEN ARE TRYING TO KILL ME! HELP ME, ALL OF YOU! EVERY SINGLE ONE! THESE MONSTERS WITH MUZZLES ARE TRYING TO KILL ME!"

I hear some guard say, "Erasers! They were all sent to retrieve the target!" They all tell each other, from floor to floor, and they race up to where I stand on the edge of the roof. Once all the guards are up with me, I send a quick_ come on, everyone! Justin, do your stuff on the locks! No late reactions, here! Be as fast as you can!_

The responses are immediate, but I ignore them and tell them again to hurry. I sense them all rush to pick their locks, but I, meanwhile, have my own problems.

"Um, they ran off! But they hurt my wings! I can't fly! Please, they're pulling on my wings! They're trying to kill me! Save me!" I plead. Then, very convincingly, I pretend that I'm pulled over the side, falling 'to my doom'. Ha! But I continue to fall, with the guards screaming for my over the edge. I close my eyes, then, at the last minute, I right myself, landing gently on my feet. "I'm okay!" I call up. Then, grinning, I yell to them, "But you won't be!"

Their eyes widen, but they're slow reactors. I bound up to them, flinging out my arms. Every guard—and I mean every. Single. Effin'. Guard—vanish. I sense them reappear about 20 miles away.

"Muahahaaaa!" I bellow, then I race down, punching anyone who gets in my way. Finally, I find my flock.

"Vanessa!" They shout in glee, but I laugh and snap my fingers; their locks vanish.

"This is called a _jailbreak._ I want you all to look that word up in the next dictionary you see, and the first one with a definition get a bag of candy," I order, grinning. Everyone pushes open their doors and race over to me, but I spin on my heel and lead them to the fresh air. We take off, zipping through the sky like bullets. Well, faster than bullets, but who cares? I have my flock. They have me. We're all together, and I didn't need to kill anyone! Yay! Actual joy!

"Vanessa, I knew you'd come! I knew it!" Tiffany cheers.

"What took you so long, Ness?" Will laughs, and I laugh, too.

I tell everyone my story, heading unintentionally towards Colorado, where I stayed for the last week.

"Nessa? Are we going to California? To Hollywood?" Amber asks with glee.

"Later. I need to introduce you to Max's flock first," I say.

Justin flies up next to me. "Hey, Vanessa?"

"Yeah, kid?" I ask, ruffling his hair.

"Did you and Dylan kiss at all?"

I feel everyone's eyes boring holes in my skin, Will's included. "I gotta say yes to that one, Nits."

The girls gasp; giggling, and I grin at them and fly a bit faster. Will catches up to me.

"You really kissed him, huh?" he asks.

"It wasn't as good as when I kissed you, I must admit," I say, faking sheepishness.

He grins. Lots of grinning going on today. "Well, then, I suppose I'll have to make up for the ones I missed."

"I guess you will."

"Nessa and Will, sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Cal jokes in a sing-songy voice.

I turn around and whack the back of his head playfully. "No, no, no! That's not how you treat the girl who just freed you from Hell!"

We all laugh. "Okay, okay! Sorry! I'll stop!" Cal shrieks.

"Wow, Cal, you really sounded like a girl there!" Tiffany laughs.

Again, we laugh. "I love you guys!" I say, finally happy.

If only Dylan were here to enjoy this, too.

_**DON'T MIND ME I'M JUST A LINE BREAK!**_

**Dylan's POV**

"If only Vanessa were here. She told me she loved Tiramisu," Iggy says, poking his dessert with his fork.

"Look, we're all sad that she left, but we have to keep going. She was just another bump in the road, another bug on the windshield of life," Fang says.

"The windshield of life? Really, Fang?" Max glares at him. He shrugs.

"Sorry, but seriously, we need to get over her!" Nudge cries.

Angel stands up and runs out of the room. We hear the door open and close, then we hear little pattering footsteps on the roof. We all hear a _plop_ when she sits down. I sigh, standing, then I follow her out and onto the roof. Everyone else comes, too.

"Angel, stop it! We just have to say, as loud as we can, 'I hate her!' Maybe if we say it, we'll start hating her! On three, and if you don't say it, then no ice cream or candy for the next month. One…"

The flock takes a deep breath and shouts, "I HATE HER! I HATE VANESSA!"

_**DON'T MIND ME I'M JUST ANOTHER LINE BREAK!**_

**Vanessa's POV**

I freeze, causing my flock to run into each other. Max's flock just said that they hated me.

"Well then, I hate you too!" I shout, the wind carrying my voice to the roof of the E shaped house.

"What? Why, Ness?" Will asks.

I scowl. "Amber, we're going to Hollywood. Let's go." I fly straight over their house, straight over them, but I don't acknowledge their calls. I just keep flying. I promise myself I'll never cry in front of anyone apart from Will again.

We keep flying until we see the Hollywood sign. Amber shrieks with joy, soaring down and landing on the H. Cal takes the O; I take an L, along with Will; Justin takes the W; Tiffany takes another part of the W.

"Alright, flock, we're—" I begin, but I'm interrupted.

"Oh my God! It's the flock! Everyone, look! It's Fang's flock!" shouts a tourist.

Fang's flock? What? Oh, right. His blog. Max told me about that.

I sigh. "Come on, guys. Let's go to Yellowstone."

"Yay! Yellowstone!" Cal yelps. We all take off, soaring over the staring tourists. Some take pictures, but at least they won't be of us. They'll be of Max's flock.

"See ya, everybody! Hey Jim, tell your mom Maximum Ride says hi!" I shout, just for effect. Some random guy in the crowd faints, and we laugh and speed away.

Finally, some real fun.

**A/N=** **yes, the first flock are in the story later. Don't worry.**


	9. Authors note

**A/N= Sorry, I know you were expecting a new, amazing chapter about Vanessa and her flock and Dylan with his, but That's not the case. I must inform you that I'm working on another story I'm writing, one with a pen and paper. I'm on page 298! Well, I suppose you're disappointed, now, right? Well, go read some other fanfiction, there are literally thousands out there! Go enjoy a Twilight parody, or a Percy Jackson parody. Make yourself laugh. Break a world record. Grow wings.  
Sincerely, Nicki.**


	10. Yay! I sneak out to see dearly beloved!

**A/N= Ahhhh! I can't do this! It's agonizing keeping you all waiting, even if it's only been 2 days! RAWG. I can't do it, so here's the next!**

_**DON'T MIND ME I'M JUST A LINE BREAK!**_

I eyes blink open slowly. I turn to my left. Tiffany snuggles under my arm. I turn to my right. Will smiles blissfully in his sleep on the branch next to mine. I sigh. Yet another night in a tree. I'm sure we'll be doing this for a while. I sigh again. No cozy beds in a certain guest room in a certain E shaped house in Colorado. No grinning at Dylan for being a butthead, for that matter… Nope! No, no, no! I will _not_ think about Dylan, or Max, or Nudge, or Gazzy… Nuh-uh! They said that they hate me! I can't keep this up, thinking about them!

_You know you want to. Not like you can control what you think about. Just go figure out why they said that! God, it's the middle of the night! Scratch a note into the tree! _My amazingly useful smart-when-I'm-being-stupid side yells at me.

_Oh… right. That's an idea, _I think, then I slip away from Tiffany and leap off the branch silently. I take to the skies, my heart soaring as high as I really am. The starry skies, the wind in my ear is so familiar; so welcoming. I glide through the air, speeding as fast as my wings will take me to Colorado.

Deep inside, I know I'm not going for the flock. I'm going for someone special. The flock member who held me when I cried; the flock member who wiped away my tears; the flock member who made me laugh even when my flock was still trapped. I'm going for Dylan.

Sooner than I would've guessed, I reach their house. I scale down the wall, peering into one of the windows. Nudge sleeps peacefully on the couch, her bed ready for someone to just slip in and sleep. Probably me. I peer into the next window. Angel lays flat on her back, her face to the ceiling. A sleeping bag is set up for someone on the floor. Again, probably me. Max's room has a futon, and the bottom bed-couch-thing has a blanket and pillow on it, and the door is open just a crack, as if she wanted someone to walk in and get comfortable. Iggy and Fang's rooms are the same as usual, but I see in Iggy's transparent mini-fridge a plate with Tiramisu, totally uneaten. I recall telling him about my favorite dessert.

The next window is open, and no one appears to be inside the room. I poke my head in, searching the walls around the window. Nothing.

"Huh," I murmur to myself, my confusion… well, confusing. Where's this person? Did he slip off into the night, like me? Why?

"Whatcha doooin'?" I hear, right behind me. I spin around, or at least, try. It's hard when you're trying to hold onto the side of a house.

"Nothin', just being a creeper," I answer, grinning as I identify the owner of the voice.

"I'm sure it's not hard, with my window open and all. Unless, gasp! You just opened that!"

"Shut up, Dylan. Get some friends," I mutter, sarcasm dripping.

He laughs, grabbing my arm and pulling me onto his branch. "I don't need any friends, as long as I've got you," he murmurs into my hair.

I slide into his embrace, like dusk settling into night. "Well, you don't have me for long. Just for a few hours. You'll have to find some people to be your friends while I'm not here."

"Sure, whatever. Just the memory of you should be enough."

"Should be?" I ask teasingly.

I feel him shrug. "Should be. I don't know. Just…" his arms get tighter around me, "Don't leave me again."

"Dylan, why did you say you hated me?"

He flinches. "An idea of Max's. She told us to scream 'we hate Vanessa' to see if saying it would make it real. Then she threatened us with no dessert for a whole month. Why did you say you hated us back?"

"I don't know. I guess I was surprised that you'd say something like that, so I… I wanted to get back at you for it. Sorry." I bury my face in his neck.

He sighs. "I'm sorry, too, that I chose dessert for a month over not screaming a lie. I'm so, so sorry."

I giggle a bit. "It sure was fun seeing Iggy's confused face when we were flying over you. He had no idea we were there!"

"So, speaking of your 'we'. Can you explain? You were low enough for us to see what you looked like, so just tell me who's who," Dylan says.

I go through my flock's portfolios in my head. "Well, the short-haired blonde is Tiffany; the girl with the shoulder-length auburn hair is Amber; the tall, tan, and lean guy with the sandy-colored hair is Will; the short, dark-haired kid is Cal; and the average-looking-apart-from-the-wings, brown haired guy is Justin. Named himself after Justin Bieber," I explain. **A/N= Yes, Justin really was named after Justin Bieber. My friend wanted him to be named after 'the best guy in the world'. GAG REFLEX!**

"Oh, so Will is…" Dylan begins, waiting for me to finish the statement.

"Will is an I-don't-know thing," I finish.

He guides my chin with his fingers, and we end up facing each other, inches apart. "What about us?"

"Us?"

"Us. What are we? Are we an I-don't-know thing, too?"

"No," I whisper, so softly I don't know if he hears, "We're an oh-my-God-I'm-so-glad-I-found-you thing."

"Well, I'm glad, too," he says, then he draws my lips to his.

_**DON'T MIND ME I'M JUST A LINE BREAK!**_

**Dylan's POV**

All I can think is, _Oh my God, I'm so amazingly glad she's back! Oh, God, she's actually _back!_ Finally! _As we talk and/or kiss. She kisses me passionately, as if she's been waiting for this moment and storing up on her passion, until now. I lean into it, into her, and she sighs against my lips in what seems like relief.

"I've missed you, even though I just saw you yesterday," she whispers.

"Wow, Ness, you really know how to spoil an amazing mood," I chuckle softly. I feel the blush on her cheeks.

"Sorry," she answers, "will this make up for it?" She kisses me a teesy bit harder.

"My answer is: yes." I say smoothly, grasping the back of her neck to close those last few inches between us. She sighs again.

Finally, after kissing for what seemed like forever, Vanessa says she has to leave. I ask her to be here tomorrow night, and she just answers with, "We'll see."

After she leaves, I wonder if, when Max and Fang first kissed like this, Max thought the same thing as I did.

_Oh, God, this is what I want to do ALL THE TIME._

**A/N= See? Adorable couple! **

**Dylan: You know, Mr. Patterson wrote in the books that I'm supposed to love Max.**

**Me: WELL, YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT! VANESSA S MORE THAN A TRILLION TIMES BETTER THAN MAX! RARG! AGREE OR DIE! **

**Vanessa: Did you just rape your caps button?**

**Me: You don't want to know.**

**Vanessa: I do, actually—**

**Me: You DON'T. Want to know.**


	11. Introductions, Dr Pepper, and cigarettes

**A/N= Hey, this is another amazingly amazing chapter of Vanessa's life. I haven't thought of a last name yet, but I want it to be unique-ish. So, if anyone has any unique-ish last names for me, please, please put them in reviews or whatever. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer- Personally, I don't think James Patterson is 4ft 11½in. Plus, if I had written Maximum ride, I'd be all Oh, yay! I wrote an entire series, and it's popular, too! Joy!**

_**DON'T MIND ME I'M JUST A LINE BREAK!**_

"Hey, where've you been?"

I glance at Will on my way back to my little branch. "Hmm?"

"Where have you been?"

"Oh, just exploring. Seeing the trees they've cut down. Don't they know this is a _wildlife _preserve? God, animals live in those trees!" I nag the tree-cutter-people. I mean, come on! Everyone's thought that they cut down too many trees, right? And that those trees are homes to cute little critters? My goodness, people will do anything for money these days!

"Shut it with the rant, will ya?" Justin whines.

I smack him. "Get out of my head, you [insert icky name of your choice here]!"

"Sorry. No, I'm not, actually. I have every right to be in your head."

"Nope. One more time in my head, and you don't get any McDonald's, and you also don't get to meet Max's flock," I threaten.

"What? I thought they said they hated you!" Amber exclaims.

"I went and settled the matter with Dylan last night. They don't hate us."

"I bet you did more than 'settle the matter'," Will mutters.

I glare at him. "Jerk," I growl, then I shake Tiffany and Cal awake. "Come on, guys. We're going to Colorado."

And off we go, with somewhat-empty bellies and the wind in our hair. It takes longer to fly there than it did last night, but I don't mind. As long as we get there, I'll be fine. Soon, we see a house in the distance.

"Yo, people! Wake up, you've got visitors!" I scream. I tune into their groans and whines and their complaints. "No complaining, or we'll all leave!"

Max is the first one outside, then Dylan, then all the rest. Max's face shines with glee, and Dylan… well, I can't read Dylan's expression. They all wave at my flock and me, gesturing for us to come in. We land on their porch and follow them inside, and I sense my flock going on the defense.

_No need, they're like us, _I think, for my flock only, so Angel doesn't tune in. I feel them relax a bit.

"So, Vanessa, what brings you back?" Fang asks with no emotion.

"Oh, I don't know, I wanted my flock to meet yours," I say, addressing Max.

"Well, it's awesome! So, will you introduce us?" Nudge asks.

I turn to my flock. "Me, or do you want to introduce yourselves?"

"I'm Amber! I love the color gold, —"

"Gold isn't a color," Total corrects, but Amber just ignores him and keeps going.

"—I'm obsessed with chocolate, I can heal any injury with a touch, including internal injuries, and I make a mean squirrel stew!"

My flock mutters agreements, earning a respectful nod from Max. "Nice to meet you, Amber."

"I'm Tiffany! I'll just do what Amber did. I like the color pink a lot, I love cupcakes, I can, like, make sound do whatever I want it to, like get louder or go quiet, and I'm like, _the _campfire girl in our little winged group."

"I bet I can make a cooler fire than you can!" Gazzy challenges. Max's flock snickers. I remember that Gazzy's the bomb boy.

"You go next, Justin!" I urge.

"Okay, well, I'm Justin, I like the color blue, like, the color of the Caribbean, I like Amber's squirrel stew, I can kinda shape shift, and I named myself after Justin Bieber."

"Omigod! I LOVE Justin Bieber!" Nudge shrieks.

"ANYWAY, to get off the topic of gay singers, I'm Will, I like the color black, which is handy, since we're outside at night so much… but, still, I like any fast-food burger, I can make time speed up or slow down or even freeze, and, last but most definitely not least, I've got uber skillage when chucking spoons," he grins as he says the last part, mainly at me, and I stick my tongue out at him. He and I were at this hotel, since our scientists thought it was best if we had some 'bonding time', and one of the evil escapee Erasers saw us and was about to pounce on us, when Will grabbed my FULL spoon OUT OF MY HAND, causing hot potato soup to fling itself over me, and he chucked it at the Eraser. It hit it in the eye, and the thing clutched the eye as if it had been a bullet, not a spoon. But it started coming at us again, so Will grabbed as many spoons as he could and threw them—all at once—at the Eraser. They all hit one place, a place I won't name but you can probably guess, and the thing fell to its knees with a ladylike _eep_ noise.

"I'm Cal, I like the color really-light-gray, I like any food that doesn't involve pineapple, I can go to sleep and wake up as another person for about three days at a time, and I can eat 13 Snickers bars without puking."

Max's flock gaps at us, but it's my turn.

"I'm Vanessa, or Nessa, or Ness, I LOVE the color purple, I like anything that doesn't have meat, 'cause I'm a vegetarian, I can do a lot of stuff, including everything that they just said, and I will kick anyone's butt into next week—literally—if they say that Owl City sucks."

"Cough, cough, Owl City sucks, cough, cough!" Fang says.

I kick him in a place men shouldn't be kicked, and I kick him into not next week, but next minute, so that he doesn't freak out. He vanishes, and a minute later, he reappears.

"Oh my God. You weren't kidding. It's creepy in there. Dark." Fang shudders.

"That was a warning," I growl, then I smile at Max's flock.

They all introduce themselves, and Iggy announces that he'll make lunch. He leaves and goes to the kitchen, leaving us other winged children to stare at each other until Dylan breaks the silence.

"We only have one spare bedroom, of which Vanessa occupied, so we'll need to share rooms. Who ants to arrange?" He stares at me.

I shrug. "Tiff, you room with Nudge; Cal, you room with Gazzy; Amber, you room with Max; Will, you room with Fang; Justin, you—"

"Can I get the spare room? Please? You know how I am with sleeping in the same room as people," Justin begs.

I roll my eyes. "Sure, whatever."

"What about you, Ness?" Will asks. Probably worried I'll be stuck in the kitchen or somewhere.

I blink. Max's room, where I was going to sleep, is taken. "Uh, I'll sleep on the couch."

Max elbows Dylan. "You can sleep in Dylan's room. He'll sleep on the couch. Won't you, Dylan?"

"Sure. Yep. I'll sleep in here, with all the ghosts!"

"G-ghosts? There are ghosts here?" Cal asks in a small voice.

"No, I was kidding. No ghosts here!" Dylan lets off casually.

"They wouldn't be able to live with Gaz's explosions!" Iggy's voice drifts from the kitchen.

Everyone laughs, but I stop quickly. No, not everyone is laughing. Dylan smiles, but it's directed at me. I smile back softly, a smile that says _a few more hours. Just be patient. _He nods, as if satisfied, then laughs with the others.

"Anyway, we're only going to be here for a few nights anyway, Dylan, so you'll have your room back in no time," I say.

Everyone stops laughing.

_**DON'T MIND ME I'M JUST A LINE BREAK!**_

**Dylan's POV**

"Wow, Ness, you really know how to spoil a good mood," I mock, quoting from last night.

If she notices, she doesn't react. "Sorry. Will this make up for it?" She whips out a pack of cigarettes… no, just kidding. I wanted to mess with you, that's all. She didn't ask us to smoke. But I bet you really thought so, didn't you!

Anyway, Vanessa pulls out a pack of… Tic Tacs? Whaa?

She hands them to me with a smirk. "You really need some better toothpaste, but until then, these help 'kill germs'."

For my ears only, she whispers, "God, I'm kidding. Your breath smells minty all on its own!" She winks, then sits down on the couch—my temporary bed.

We all sit down, just as Iggy walks in, holding a plate stacked high with sandwiches. In his other hand, there's a tray full of glasses of Dr Pepper.

"Ahh! Omigod! Iggy, you remembered!" Vanessa shouts with glee.

"Yup. How could I forget? Some of the first words you said in this house were 'got any Dr Pepper'?" Iggy asks. Those who were there laugh at the hilarious memory that wasn't so hilarious at the time, because we were all afraid about whom she was.

_**DON'T MIND ME I'M JUST ANOTHER LINE BREAK!**_

Vanessa's voice slices through my thoughts that, coincidentally, are about her. "Dylan? Are you awake? I wanted to 'talk' to you." I can hear the quotes over the word 'talk'.

I stand up, grab her waist, and drag her out the window, onto our little branch. "What do you think?"

She grins, but guides me a bit farther into the forest. "So, how've you been?"

"Impatient," I growl teasingly, kissing her lightly.

"Ah, happy feelings," Vanessa says, then giggles. "I used to always say that when I was little. It drove the scientists crazy. That's why I did it!"

"You were pretty deranged even as a kid!" I gasp.

She makes to slap me, but grabs my face in her hands and pulls my lips to hers instead. "I'm not normally one for romance. Actually, I've been avoiding it my whole life, but you make me want to learn."

I smirk. "Well, I know a pretty good teacher."

"Who, Max? What does she know about romance? Fang probably sucks at kissing."

"No, you idiot. Guess!"

"Gazzy? I heard he watches porn," she giggles.

"Shut up, you sassy little bitch," I growl, dragging her mouth to mine again. This time, we let it last. Vanessa scoots closer to me and wraps her arms around me. I rest my hands on her waist, loving the feel of her next to me. With me.

_This is definitely not an I-don't-know thing; this is a God-I-love-you thing._

**A/N= Hey, did you all enjoy my little joke about smoking? How about Vanessa's rant on evil tree-cutters? I thought that was pretty realistic, since I was quoting one of my famous annoying speeches.**


	12. Oh, the drama!

**A/N= Still waiting here for unique-ish last names! Anyone?**

_**DON'T MIND ME I'M JUST A LINE BREAK!**_

I open my eyes suspiciously. I'm in that dark tan room again. Dylan's room. I toss the corner of the blankets off of me, slipping out of the bed droopily. I fall to the floor with a muffled thump, where I groan and drag the blankets back over me.

_Vanessa. Up. Now! You've got a Max to talk to, _I tell myself. I groan again, pushing away the blankets with my knees and feet. I blink my sleep-filled eyes a few times to hopefully clear some blurriness. It helps. I notice a little notebook under the bed. Under _Dylan's _bed.

_Muahahaaa…_ I think, grinning as I reach to grab it.

"Hey, hey, hey. Nope. You're not looking at that!" Someone slaps my hand away.

I scowl. "Dylan, you know _just _how to get on my nerves, don't you?"

He laughs, pulling me to my feet. "Apparently!"

"You do understand that I will get in there and see it, don't you? I _am _staying here for the next few days."

"Sure, whatever," Dylan says, rolling his eyes, "I guess I'll just have to sleep in here with you to keep you from peeking at what isn't yours."

This catches me by surprise, and I step away from him to look him in the eyes. "You're serious, aren't you?"

He shrugs. "Yeah, kind of."

I glare at him, brushing past him and into the hallway. I peek into everyone's bedrooms, where two Avian-Americans sleep in every room. At the end of the hall, I peer into the spare bedroom, where Justin's form lays in the bed. I smile at the silence of the room. On my way out, I freeze. The silence of the room. Justin always breathes a bit louder than the rest of us after he shifted into an elephant, which has humongous lungs. I dive into the room again; ripping away the blankets Justin was sleeping completely underneath. There's another thing Justin never does—sleep with blankets. He always prefers the open air rather than closed-in comforters.

"Justin?" I gasp, my eyes widening and my breath catching in my throat.

Justin's body is there, in a comfortable pose, but there's a huge bruise on his chest—right where his heart should be.

"Justin!" I cry, checking for a pulse and holding my hand over his mouth and nose to see if he's breathing.

He isn't.

"Vanessa? What's going on?" I hear in the hall.

I search the area around the bed, then I peek under it. A small piece of perfume-tester paper rests on the carpet. I reach over and snatch it up, only to have it drop from my fingers.

It's a note. It reads, _You keep this kind of thing up, Nessie, and… well, we won't have only one dead bird in the house._

"Oh my God," I choke out. "Oh my God! No!"

Dylan bursts into the room, followed by Max and Fang. "What's going on?"

I crumble to my knees, gently touching Justin's cold, lifeless hand. "He's… I came in here to check on him, and he's…

"He's dead."

**A/N= I thought the shortness and the absence of Dylan's POV section was necessary for dramatic effect. I'll just leave you hanging for a few days…**


	13. Another annoying author's note

Okay, I know what you're thinking. 'Oh my goodness, Justin just died, there's like, MAJOR drama, and all she's giving me is an effin AUTHOR'S NOTE?' Well, yes. I am giving you an effin author's note. I'm just saying that I'm boycotting writing any Max Ride stories for a bit because Angel 'the book not the girl' disappointed me so much. Right now, I'm on page 104, and it's one of the most boring books I've ever read. Not-so-happy feelings. JP seems to just be going through the motions—Max has to save the world, Fang builds a flock, Dylan and Max drama, blah, blah, blah. I find it boring and petty. READ IT IF YOU DARE. Anyway, remember the boycotting thing I said before. Hey, if you're Fablehaven fans, I've got a story going for that! I'd love some suggestions, so please, please, please, please, please, PLEASE comment for ideas for anything for the books…

Uglies!

Fablehaven!

Midnighters!

Warriors!

Witch and Wizard!

Yeah, so, many thanks!

Write on,

Nicki


	14. Utterly cliche flashbacks

**A/N= haha! I bet you're all mad at me 'cause I left you hanging on Justin's death! Muahahaa… I feel all-powerful and ferocious. Keep in mind that this takes place before Angel, so there's no Doomsday Group.**

**Here's another disclaimer: I seriously hope I'm not James Patterson, because that would mean I missed some PARTS. If I am, then I'm blind. Crap. Never would've guessed, with my 103 words-per-minute speed when I'm looking. **

**Oh, plus, the underlined words and stuffs means a flashback, 'cause Nessa's got one in here.**

I bite my lip to keep from screaming. I take deep breaths, quickly becoming Miss Cool-and-Collected.

"Okay, so, anyone know of anyone who snuck in last night? Unless, of course, one of _you_ killed Justin," I say, staring at every one person in turn. They all squirm under my firm glare.

"I assure you, Vanessa, Max's flock wouldn't do that," Jeb says.

I whirl to face him. "Are you saying that someone in _my_ flock killed him?" My nose is inches from his.

He tries to lean back, but his back is already against the back of the chair. "No, I'm not. Just pretend I didn't say anything."

"I will." I spin back around and face everyone else. "Listen, I'm not leaving until I know who killed Justin. And," I add, "you're all going to help."

"Gladly," Max says, not sarcastic in any way. I smile at her quickly, but the thought of Justin's too-pale-to-be-alive skin wipes it away.

"Okay, so, I think we should say all the best things about Justin, like a funeral," Dr. Martinez suggests.

"Okay, well, Justin was an amazing kid, and I loved how he wanted to be gay if that meant he'd get to meet Justin Bieber," I begin.

"Justin was cool because he loved my stew almost as much as he loved J. Bieb, and that was a lot," Amber says.

So, it goes on. My flock saying everything we liked, then Max's flock, then the adults. Tears are shed, and before I know it Justin's body is lowered not so gracefully into the hole Dylan, Fang, and Will had dug. I wince as his dead body _thump_s against the dirt.

Once he's fully in, the boys shovel back the dirt to cover him. I grab a handful and toss it onto a somewhat empty part when they're finished, and Nudge, Amber, and Tiffany all place flowers near the head. I feel like something's missing, but I can't place it.

I kneel down on the soft grass next to the raised, misshapen rectangle of dirt. After what seems like hours, the others leave. Dylan is the only one who stays with me even after two hours. He sits on his knees next to me and places a tentative arm around me. I lean into his side, fatigue capturing my body and mind. I don't dare close my eyes, even though I know I was sleeping just four hours ago.

I slide out from under his arm and lie on the grass. The clouds—fluffy as cotton candy—drift happily across the beautiful blue sky. Not the weather you'd expect for the day an amazing bird kid dies. I close my eyes tightly for a moment, stopping the little stone well inside my eyes from overflowing.

When I open my eyes again, I'm in Dylan's arms. He carries me into the house, without knowing I'm awake. I keep my eyes slits and slow my breathing so that he (hopefully) doesn't notice my awake-ness.

Dylan walks in, heading straight for his room. Nudge and Tiffany bounce up to him. The dark mood of death is gone. "Hey, Dylan! Are you going to kiss her awake?" Tiffany asks.

I feel his chuckle against me. "No, girls, I don't kiss girls awake. It's cliché."

"But it's a cute kind of cliché!" Nudge says.

Dylan continues to his room, brushing the girls aside. "Right. I might kiss her awake, just for you. But you won't get to watch."

The girls simultaneously say "Aww!" and "Okay…" as Dylan closes the door behind him. He sets me on the bed and, judging by the muffled thump that shows that something hit the carpet, sits on the floor.

"Listen, Vanessa, I know you're awake."

I don't move; just continue my slow, sleepy breathing.

"Open your eyes, Ness."

_No,_ I think.

"Vanessa, don't make me kiss you awake. It'll make me feel utterly cliché, and you know it."

_Then do it. Feel utterly cliché, I won't mind._

I can practically see him rolling his eyes. "Fine," he says, and I feel his breath on my cheek. Before he kisses me, he whispers, "This is as cliché for you as it is for me," and then presses his lips to mine.

I don't kiss back, just for effect, and he pulls away. I blink my eyes open excruciatingly slowly, trying to keep up this cute little princess scene as long as I can. Thoughts of Justin are buried within my brain, but I push them away. He's dead, and there's nothing I can do about it but find who killed him.

That, my friends, is the way you move on.

**Dylan's POV**

I stare at Vanessa's face, annoyed and cliché-feeling. That word and this moment will haunt me for the rest of my wing-filled life, reminding me that I'm still 98% human. Human _teenager._ I sigh and recline with my back against the bed while I wait for Vanessa to get her sweet little fairytale scene out.

She sits up and whacks my head. Hard.

"Ow!" I shout, spinning to see her trying to hide a smile.

"If you're going to be all princey and kiss me awake, you've gotta keep it up," she scolds me.

Vanessa glances at the door, and surprise dances through her eyes for a moment. She didn't hear me lock the door, apparently.

I lean in and kiss her, and this time she kisses back. She's still sleepy, so she's a bit sloppy, and I point it out once our lips separate. She whacks me again, but not as hard. The only reason it hurt so badly is because she hit me with a _desk chair._

"Oh my God, Vanessa! That hurt!" I yell.

"Not as bad as _I've_ been hurt." She touches her forearm, and I see a light, raised line of skin from her thumb to her elbow.

"Oh, God, Ness. What happened?" By the looks of it, she must've almost bled to death.

"An experiment," she says quietly, closing her eyes tightly and clenching her fist. She looks ready to either cry or punch someone so hard they literally fly into next year. "It was before they gave me impenetrable skin. They let me out in a big, mesh dome, and then released over twenty Erasers. They tried so, so hard to kill me, so hard. The scientists said it was to test my survival skills. I was flying, and one of the winged ones came up and caught me."

I've seen Vanessa fly, and she's fast. Like, super fast. So fast, it's a horrid thing that the Erasers caught her, because that means they're being enhanced, too.

"He was the biggest, the strongest, the leader. When he got me, all his little groupie guys cheered him on. He scratched me…" she trails off, her eyes taking on a faraway glaze. She shudders quickly. I wave a hand in front of her face, and she blinks a few times, not responding apart from that. I gently lay her down on the bed and retreat out the door, locking it before I close it.

Locked from the inside.

**Vanessa's POV**

I shudder as the memory consumes my mind, my senses.

I whirl, my 12-year-old eyes wide and afraid. They release the Erasers, chuckling lightly as my eyes get even wider and I take to the skies. I run into something that feels like a cage. I pull back, drifting up and down with the beating of my wings. It is a cage, a mesh one. 

An Eraser growls below. I look down, seeing the growler swiping at me from the ground. Thankfully, it doesn't have wings. God, though, why the variety? Why not just the winged, or just the wingless? I slide over to a tree, oblivious to the Eraser flinging itself up to me.

As it grabs my neck, the others cheer it on. I stare into my captor's evil, cruel eyes. He sneers at me, tightening his grip for a moment. I gasp for air like a fish out of water before he grabs the inside of my elbow. He drags his claws across my skin with an awful, disgusting _shriiiiip_ sound. I gasp and plummet to the ground. So much blood. So much, I wouldn't have believed it came from one body if I wasn't watching. I gaze at the thick red liquid gushing from my arm and wrist in surprise and curiosity, like, _why is this red stuff coming so quickly from my arm? Can I stop it?_ I clench my fist, but that makes it come out faster. I blink rapidly, my vision blurring and narrowing. I think I might hear people shouting, but a brilliant light appears at the end of my tunnel of vision.

"Wow…" I murmur, attempting to reach out to it but failing. I stare at the new sun-like light in wonder. Something touches my arm, causing someone to scream.

"Hey! That hurt her! You made her scream!" Garrett's familiar voice cuts through the haze.

_Was that me?_ I think, truly sincere. I have no idea. The people pick me up, I think, and I keep hearing Garrett's deep voice, telling me to stay awake, asking if I can hear him. I try to tell him I can, but my mouth won't work. I pout, and my lips dip into a shallow frown. How come they can frown, but not make words? That's so unfair. He deserves to know.

A jolt speeds through my good arm, and the light vanishes. I'd be disappointed if I could form thoughts or emotions. My mind sinks away from my touch, and I fade into the blackness, the suffocating darkness that calls to me so fondly and so hungrily.

I blink rapidly yet again, staring at the dark tan ceiling above me. My scar burns as if I had gotten it yesterday, not four years ago.

Suddenly, a shape flashes in the window. It's the shape of a large person, with abnormally large muscles. It pops the window frame off of the walls, pulling it outside and letting it drop down the side of the cliff. It reaches in, and before I know what's happening, it has a hand around my mouth and an arm around my waist.

I do the thing everyone does when someone puts a hand around their mouth—I stick my tongue out between my lips and lick the hand. When he recoils, I scream, but he already has his wings extended. He pushes off the roof and sails off, and soon my eyes are watering and my hair is whipping behind my so far it hurts.

_Shiiiiiiit!_ I think, _They made new ones! We must be going over five hundred miles per hours! This isn't fair!_

I'm forced to look in front of us, but I try to twist and look the other way.

"Hey!" the Eraser barks, (heh heh, barks. Get it? Eraser, doggie-ness…yeah…) "No looking at what's behind us."

Of course, I did get a good look at the side, and I saw something that made my heart flare with a firework of hope.

A familiar shape with longish brown hair and brown and white wings, chasing us and almost keeping speed. The thing that was so amazing is that…

She waved.


	15. Escape, escape, escape, escape

**A/N= I bet you were all happy I updated that little story thing. I'm sure those of you who were observant were curious how Vanessa got her scar. Now you know. Maybe more mini-mysteries will come in, maybe not. You'll deal.**

I bang against the huge metal door, screaming, "Just let me out!"

A voice penetrates the darkness. "Not likely, sweetheart. We know you've been hanging with the flock, why? Why didn't you kill them?"

"Because they're my friends," I spit out.

I can practically see Garrett shaking his head and wagging a finger at me. "No, no, no, Vanessa, you've got it all wrong. Will, Tiffany, Amber, Cal, and Justin are your friends, not them."

I grit my teeth. "You… you bastard! You killed Justin! Don't pretend you didn't!"

He doesn't answer. I bang on the walls so hard my fists ache. I kick so hard I can barely stand on them. Finally, I collapse on the cold steel floor. Of course, they didn't care enough to put in a cot or anything.

"Max," I mutter, "please come soon. I'm stuck."

I try teleporting myself to the next day, since I'm used to the darkness and the chill of the in between time, but my powers don't work. How they did it, I don't know, but they did. Not one of my powers work, so I resort to Angel.

I squeeze my eyes closed and think as loudly as can, _Angel! Hon, I'm in trouble. Serious trouble. I think Max is trying to help, but she's not here yet. I need you, Ange. Help me, oh please Angel, help me._

After that, no matter how hard I try, I can't do a thing. I can barely think, so I just bow my head and pretend to give in. Garrett doesn't buy it, but I don't think he realizes how perfectly they've trapped me. I have nowhere to go, no one to ask for help. In three days, I stop moving from the corner underneath the corner. The best they can see my feet with their camera. I eat when they bring me food, about once a day, and I sleep when I get tired or feel like sleeping. My dreams are full of nightmares and images of Justin's body. The only times I find peace are when I think of Dylan. His smile, his laugh, his kiss. The worst part is, when I think about him, I cry a bit, silently. They can't see, so Garrett can't taunt me about my weakness. He can't do anything to me anymore, I feel like I'm in a waking coma, every minute, every day.

More often than not, I'm repeating my silent prayer to Angel. After I get tired of that, I shift my praying to God. I ask for help, ask for an opening, a chance. I never get one.

I know what you're thinking. _This isn't Vanessa! What've you done with her, you imposter! _Well, it is me. My weak side. Sorry to disappoint you with the truth.

Finally, after what feels like weeks, Garrett comes out from hiding. He opens the huge steel doors. "Vanessa, why are you doing this to yourself?"

I raise my head lazily. "Go away. I know you don't want to be here."

He kneels down in front of me. "You're wrong, Vanessa. I do want to be here. I want to see you smile again."

I scoff raggedly, since they barely give me enough water to survive. "Woah. You've changed, Garrett. Where's that 'get off your ass and fight!' side of you? Huh?"

He stares at me with pity in his eyes. After gazing into those stupid pits of sympathy for a few moments, I roll my eyes and just stab them with my index and middle finger.

"Aw, God! Vanessa! What…" Garrett screeches. I look straight at the camera; give them the bird, (I'm sure you get that one! Max uses that all the time!) and then I reach up, finger still up, and rip it down. I hear shouts, but I slide up next to the door, next to its hinges. People barge in, and I whack each and every one of them on the head as they enter. Soon, a pile of guards lies on the floor in the doorway. I leap over them and find myself in the Super Jail, as my flock and I called it, and I recall the tour. I speed down the long, stainless steel hallway, my bare feet tapping on the cold steel tiles. I step on a few screws, but I ignore it. All I focus on is one word, and that word is _escape._ It's a loop playing on and on in my thoughts, the only things interfering are the guards rushing at me. Since they're all guys, I solve their chasing problem with a firm kick between the legs. Most make squeaky noises, and I laugh at them.

"Suckers!" I shout, crashing through the glass doors and racing down the regular hallway. I speed past the crate rooms, the laboratories, the lounges, without anything but a VERY rude gesture. I laugh a lot during my escape, but surprisingly, no one guards the door. I zip out, opening my wings before closing them and running into the woods. I mean, _duh. _They'd expect me to fly! I was also made to be fast on the ground, too, but not over 600 mph. I race through the maze of trees, loving the feeling of wind in my hair, of wind altogether.

All of a sudden, I'm grabbed around the waist. I fight at first, but then the familiarity of the gentle grasp causes me to stop and grin at my holder. "Dylan, how did you get here? How did you know where I was?"

He smiles a bit sheepishly. "Angel. And Max. And your flock."

I look around, and all of the two flocks drop from the trees. I grin at them and hug them each in turn. When I get to Max, I whisper, "Thanks for following."

"Anytime," she answers quietly, hugging me a bit tighter before retreating to Fang's side. Even he accepted my hug; can you believe it?

When I get back to Dylan, he grabs my hand and squeezes. I smile and squeeze back.

"Guys, we've gotta fly," Max begins.

"We all know everyone is faster in the sky, but not everyone is the same speed at their fastest," I continue.

"We're going to all fly, but at a pace that one person decides. Vanessa's flock, please don't go over 200 miles per hour, because only I can go that fast. Is that okay, Ness?" Max finishes.

"Great. That was my idea, in all its glory," I say.

The others nod, and we take to the skies.

Have you ever been locked in an airtight, steel box for over 96 hours, then gone on a roller coaster right after?

You're missing out.

**Dylan's POV**

I watch Vanessa inhale the thin air, rejoicing and babbling almost as much as Nudge. She seems so content out here, so carefree; I decide it's a good time to ask her what happened. I beckon her over and we fly a bit away from the others.

"What happened?" I ask.

"An Eraser found me. He took me there, and they threw me in a stainless steel cube with about three tiny sips of water and some icky vitamin-enhanced food to survive. I was in a waking coma, you could say, and nothing could wake me up. I barely slept. I only talked the first and last day. I only moved to breathe and get a bit more comfortable. Only one thing helped me, one thing almost woke me up," she says.

"What?"

She meets my gaze, her eyes so full of intensity I have to fight not to look away. "You. Whenever I thought of you, I was reminded of who I really was. The amazingly amazing Vanessa who was capable of almost everything. I went through those days thinking, 'Dylan will burst through that door right now', and 'I'll hear the guards yelling to get the sexy winged bird kid any minute'. It never happened. I was so ready for you to come save me, but really, you were my inspiration. My thought just as I sped out the door was, 'Now I'll see him again, and he'll be so happy'." She blushes. "Sorry. Sappy, right?"

"No," I murmur, "it's just what I needed to hear."

Vanessa smiles at me, blows me a kiss, then calls, "What speed next, Fang?"

We speed up a bit, and I don't get another chance to talk to Vanessa. She laughs and chats as if she was never in a metal box. The thought of her in a place like that makes my heart clench. Every now and then she'll glance in my direction, but then she'll point out a cool falcon or something. I know she's covering for looking at me.

When we get home, Vanessa kisses me after everyone goes inside.

"That," she murmurs, "is the thing I missed the most. Ever."


	16. Scholars with wings

**A/N= Hey, if there are any NCIS lovers out there, look up An NCIS Family, by I Wuv Puppies. It's a great story. I've been told to continue it, cause the author's my sister. Reviews are welcome and necessary, or else I'll become a midget zombie and kill you all! No one will be able to stop me, because when you try to kick me, my mouth will be by your foot! Bah ha haaa! Beware the ankle biter!**

"Check, and, mate," I say, taking Will's chess piece king.

He face-palms. "How couldn't I have seen that?"

"By the looks of it, I'm officially a pro at old-fashioned board games!" I smirk at Will, and then I add, "Want a rematch, loser?"

"No, that was our fifteenth rematch, and I didn't win _one._ Why didn't you let me win?" Will whines.

"I asked if you wanted me to go easy, but you said no."

"I told you not to go easy, and letting me win is totally different!"

"One more match?" I ask, setting up the pieces again.

"Fine," he agrees, helping.

Once we're set up, I motion for Will to go first. He does, then he looks at me expectantly. I stand up, leaving the room.

"Where are you going!" he calls after me.

"I'm letting you win!" is my answer, causing laughs to erupt from the kitchen like magma from a volcano. Everyone cheers for me when I walk in, giving me high-fives and hugs. "It was just chess," I say sincerely, I don't know why they're so excited about me winning a few board games.

"Will has been boasting nonstop about his epic chess skills for forever!" Nudge says, "You finally sobered him up!"

I meet Max's eyes, wondering where she learned a word like sober. It's a… well, it's a sober word.

"I don't see what's so good about Michael Jackson," Cal says loudly.

Eighteen eyes stare at him curiously. "What?" most people ask, but Nudge and Tiffany are astounded.

"Are you serious? MJ was the King of Pop! How in the world do you not see why he's so amazing?" they exclaim at the same time. Every word is perfectly in harmony, and right then and there I begin to think I was supposed to meet up and live with Max's flock. Will and Fang are alike, Tiffany and Nudge, Angel and Amber (hee hee!), Cal and Gazzy, and Max and me. Iggy would've been like Justin, if he were still alive.

I pull Max aside and tell her. She nods and agrees, so we propose my idea together to the flocks. At the end, I say, "I really can't keep thinking of us like, 'the flocks', or 'my flock and Max's flock'. We're family now, I think, so we should be one big flock. But it's just an idea."

They all gape at me. I feel a blush start to creep to my cheeks, but then Dylan says, "I think that's a great idea. What about you, Fang?"

See, three people can be alike. "Great."

"Incredible! I wanna be in everyone's family! This'll be awesome!" Gazzy says, and Cal grins at him. Gradually, everyone agrees. I smile and call it official. Max tells her mom to tell her the news, and when she comes to the kitchen, she hugs every one of us. I suddenly get that amazing, rare feeling that I belong. I grin at Max, and she grins back. In mere seconds, everyone in the room is beaming at one another.

"Aw, how sweet. One big happy family, am I right?" an unfamiliar voice calls.

I whirl, crouching into an offensive/defensive stance. A few burly, hot men stand in the doorway, taller than a basketball player.

"Erasers," Fang hisses.

"_Enhanced _Erasers. These can fly as fast as we can, and are probably lots stronger than you're used to," Amber whispers.

The Erasers chuckle. "Oh, yes, Max and flock. We're better than those old dumpsters they sent for you." The leader sneers at Fang. "We're fricken ballet dancers. Not fridges with wings."

He scowls. Max pales a bit, as well as the rest of her part of the flock. I bite my lip as I see Tiffany sliding towards them, the air around her glistening with the silence she created. I avoid looking at her, recalling the ability I haven't used outside of the School we were at. The one I didn't tell the others about. The one where I can bend and shift space to make other things or myself invisible. It would be perfect for this situation. I glance around, flicking my wrists ever so slightly so it feels like I'm painting. I see the air around Tiff bend, and she begins to vanish. Of course, Angel had to be watching, so I think, _Ange, hon, don't say anything. Don't stare at her. I'm doing that._

'_Kay,_ I hear in my mind. I meet their eyes and say, "Shouldn't you be at rehearsal, then? I heard you ballet dancers are performing _Swan Lake_ in a week. You can't miss it."

He growls at me. Like a DOG. "We should, but we're skipping today."

"Speaking of, what about your costumes? Are one of you playing Odette?"

"Who?" an Eraser asks.

"Princess Odette, the main character, _duh_," Nudge says.

"No. We're, uh, the trees. In the background," one Eraser says.

Ha ha. Idiot. He just spoiled their chances of playing along.

"Nyah nyah! Beat that!" Cal shouts joyfully. He ignores the glares meant to silence him from Max and me.

As the dogs growl, readying their claws, something causes the leader—I think he's Danny—to fly forward.

Right into my ready nails.

I scratch at his face. Do you have any idea how much damage nails can do? Lots. Trust me. He recoils, only to be knocked to the side by the now visible Tiffany, right towards Max. She gives him a roundhouse kick to the neck, and he yowls. Fang, Dylan, and Will race forward and all go at him like their own personal punching bag. I leap over to the other ones, the ones who just stand there in shock, and knock them over like bowling pins. Those who aren't pummeling Danny join me and fight like they've been fighting all their lives. Oh right, they have.

In less than five minutes, all have fled but Dan. He holds strong, even though his intestines are attempting to stream out of his skin. He clutches them and kicks at the others. I meet Max's eyes and we shout, "Stop!"

The two of us walk forward after the others have stepped away, standing before the injured Eraser.

"What?" he wheezes.

"Leave. I don't want to kill you, but you know as well as I do that I will." I raise my fists in an offensive position.

My scar shimmers from my forearm. It catches his eye and he grins. "Ah, Vanny, you've still got that? Fun day, that was. That was a fun one to give."

I feel my face pale, but I scowl. "Shut it, Daniel. Get some friends." I kick his gut where his organs are trying to fall out. He collapses to his knees, growling at me before standing and busting out the door of the house and flying away.

"God, that was…" Amber starts.

I shake my head and say. "Wow."

"No one injured?" Max asks, just as I opened my mouth to. Nobody speaks up.

"Special question!" I shout suddenly. "What does the Earth orbit?"

"The moon!" almost everyone answers.

_Oh, God._

**Dylan's POV**

Over the next few hours, Vanessa peppers us with 'special questions'. We get almost all of them wrong.

I see Max and her meet eyes a lot, and soon they just walk out of the room together. I slip over to the door and listen in.

"Max, you know as well as I do that this can't go on!" Vanessa says.

"I know, I know. None of us are properly educated, but that can't be helped!" Max replies.

"Yes, it can be."

There's a pause. "You can't be serious."

"I am. Max, we've gotta grow up, too. As every second creeps by, so do our lives, our ages. We've got to get smart." Wow. Vanessa is seriously convincing.

I hear Max sigh. "Okay, fine. School starts tomorrow, since today is Sunday. Let's go and sign us in." I hear them retreat out the window, and I decide not to tell the others the news but to follow them. I call, "Me, Vanessa, and Max are going on a fly! See ya!"

No one follows. Good. Max and Vanessa are speeding ahead as fast as Max can go, but I know where they're going. The school board's office in the Town Hall. They're going to sign all of us birdie children into school, whether we like it or not.

I can't see them anymore, only if I use my special vision. I've learned to train it to adjust, like binoculars. It's a great trait to have. "God, Dylan, what's wrong? Why aren't you turning around and telling the flock about the school so we can boycott or whatever?" I ask myself as I soar through the air. There's one thing. I talk to myself. Great, just _great_.

The Hall is in sight, and I see Vanessa and Max brushing their hair out of their faces, trying to make it look like they had driven here, not flown. I land a block away and start to speed-walk over. I watch them walk in and I pick up my pace. Through the walls, I see them walk up to the desk and ask where the school board's office is. I start to jog until I reach the door and slip in, hiding behind a wall.

"Oh, girls, I'm sorry. They're in a meeting right now," the secretary says after glancing at her computer.

"For how long?" Vanessa asks, sounding sincerely saddened.

She glances at her computer again. "Just twenty more minutes."

Max reaches for a pen. "Do you have a piece of paper I can use?" she asks.

"I sure do!" The secretary hands Max an index card.

Max writes down her cell number. "Here. Can you call us when their meeting is over?"

"I can," the lady replies.

"Thanks!" Vanessa chirps, always the charmer. The girls sashay out the door, whispering about where they should go to wait. I already know, of course. They'll go to Dairy Queen, bird kid Heaven. I'm right, I see, as they walk cheerfully to the shop.

This'll be easier than I thought.

**Vanessa's POV**

Max and I order the same thing at Dairy Queen—large chocolate cones with a chocolate coating and chocolate sprinkles. We smile and laugh and talk and joke around like regular teenage girls, and for one of the first times, I feel like I _am_ the regular teenage girl I feel like right now. And you know what? I might just give up my wings if life could be like this all the time. I'd love it. Just… _living. _With a family and friends, life would be perfect. Sure, wings are a plus. The only problem with them is they're wolf-man magnets. If I didn't have these, I probably wouldn't have Eraser problems.

"I swear. It was so weird for me! I was just sitting in a tree, and Total just… spoke! I had no idea he could talk, and I'm sure you've got to be able to imagine my surprise. I was like, 'Omigod! A talking dog! Wow! Unexpected!'" Max laughs. I laugh, too. It's amazing, these stories we tell each other. I love them. I love Max like a sister.

"You know, Max, you and I are more than friends. I think we're more like soul sisters," I think out loud.

"Definitely," Max agrees.

I hold up my cone. "To us!"

She hits hers gently against mine. "To us!" she says, burying her nose and mouth into her ice cream. When she pulls it away, chocolate is smeared all over her mouth-and-nose area.

I giggle and poke the chocolate. I lick my finger, saying, "Tasty!"

Max reaches for a napkin, but I grab them first and pull them away. She growls at me—a playful growl—and sits back down, chowing down on her cream yet again, her lower face still covered in ice cream. I hand her the napkins, and we have only just finished and wiped our faces when her phone chimes. She pulls it out and answers with a "Hi, this is Max Ride."

We race to the bathrooms and she puts it on speaker. "Hello, Max. The school board is ready for you now!" the secretary says.

"'Kay-thanks-bye!" Max says, and she hangs up, giggling. I've been here long enough to know Max isn't known for giggling, so I laugh a bit, too. She slips her phone back into her pocket and we trot out of the bathroom and Dairy Queen. On the way back, we chitchat again, about nothing in particular. We actually end up talking about Dylan.

"He's okay," I say.

"Okay? When I first met him in Africa—"

"What were you doing in Africa?" I interrupt, but she ignores me and continues.

"—I thought he was a teen heartthrob! He was gorgeous, and he still is. Don't you dare tell Fang I said that, though," Max finishes.

I grin. "Okay, I need to tell you something, and no thinking about it or anything. Don't freak out."

She sobers, as Nudge said. "What?"

"It has to do with Dylan."

"Is he off my back? Have you kissed?" Max questions.

I bite my lip. "Maybe…"

"Oh, you did! How many times? And was it like a quick 'muah!' or was it an 'OMNOMNOMNOMNOM' one?"

I blink. "Uh, kinda in the middle."

She pretends to think. "Hmm, so like a 'Muah-nomnom'?"

"You know what? I'm done talking to you about this!" I laugh. **{[(Keep in mind, my pets, that Dylan is still stalking them!)]}**

"Oh, come on!" Max pleads as we ascend the Town Hall steps.

"No!" I say, laughing, walking through the door. We greet the secretary, and she directs us 'down the hall, take a left, take a right, and it should be the forth door on you right'. We follow her directions, with a few missed turns, but end up where we were supposed to be in the first place. I knock, and when a voice calls, "Come in!" we walk into the room.

There's a long desk, all shined up, with those big black spinny wheelie chairs all along the sides, and an even bigger brown one at the end across from the door. Adults fill the chairs, all kind-looking, and a guy with gray hair and smile wrinkles smiles at us fondly. "Hello, girls. I'm Robert Crout."

"Hi, I'm Vanessa, and this is Max. Are you guys the school board?" I say.

"Yes, we are. What can we do for you?" Robert answers.

"Um, we'd like to sign our families up for schooling. We've been homeschooled, and we want to try public, if we can sign up without being 18 or older," Max explains.

"That's quite alright. How old are you?" he asks.

"We're both 16," I say.

"Okay. What about your siblings?"

I start. "Um, 7, 9, 14, 16, and there's me, and I'm 16, too. I was… uh, I was adopted."

Max's turn. "My family, we were mostly adopted, too. We're 16, 16, 16, another 16, 14, 10, and 8."

Robert blinks. "I see. Well, I'll see what I can do."

"Our… um, dads are drug addicts, and our moms left us when we were kids. We had to teach ourselves, and we weren't very good. We need to get in this year. Tomorrow." I lie to possibly get us in.

"Ah. All right then, since Friday was the last day of the first semester, I'll have you in by tomorrow. Remember, you won't all be in the same school, but you will be in the same parking lot, so you'll be close. Okay?"

"Okay, thanks! Here's my number if you've got to call us." Max grabs a stray piece of paper and pen from a nearby end table and writes down her number, passing it to Robert.

"Also, I'm the principal of the high school where you'll be going. Like I said, I'm Mr. Crout."

"Bye, then, Mr. Crout! See you tomorrow, at…" I trail off.

"At 7:40 AM. See you soon, girls!" Robert, er, Mr. Crout says, and we stride out the door. We run into someone who I didn't expect, though.

"Dylan?" I gasp. "Did you follow us?"

"Yup," he replies, smiling his movie star smile.

"Wow, Dylan. You've reached a new low," Max says, just a bit angrily.

"Whatever do you mean?" Dylan asks with perfect innocence.

"Shut it, stalker," I snap, but then I sigh. "If you know about this, you might as well help enforce bedtime."

This time, he actually gapes at me. "What?"

"Bed… time. BED… time. BEDTIME!" Max repeats as if talking to a toddler.

"Um, for the others?"

"Yes, for the others, then us. Okay?" I ask.

I swear, he's looking everywhere but my eyes. "Um, sure, whatever. When, like, midnight?"

"No, not midnight. When do you think, Max?" I ask.

"Hmm, ten, maybe?"

"Perfect! Ten!" I grin in victory when Dylan sighs and agrees reluctantly.

In about ten minutes or so, we're back home. The afternoon goes by like it always does, but when the three of us, the three strongest, toughest bird kids, say it's bedtime, they don't believe us until Angel says, "It's true, they're serious. You wouldn't really do that, would you, Vanessa?"

So, to bed they went, leaving Max, Dylan, and me. Max gives me that knowing look and says, "Okay, I'm going to bed. Night, Dylan; night, Vanessa."

And then there were two.

We sit on the couch, opposite sides of each other, and I listen to everyone's breathing. They're sleeping really deeply; I guess that's what happens when you don't go to bed at 3 AM. I can tell that a couple voices and bumps won't wake them up, so…

"Hey, Dylan?" I say quietly.

"Yes, Vanessa?"

"They're sleeping really deeply. Not lightly. At all."

"Is that supposed to give me the hint that it did?" he asks with a smirk.

"What hint?" I ask, but I'm already on my way over to him. He grins at me and begins to pull me in for a kiss, but I set a hand on his chest… his toned, perfectly-muscled chest… and I push him away.

"Not here, not now," I whisper.

"Why not here, why not now?"

"Because," I respond, "Even though no one of our flock is awake, others are. We're being watched."


	17. Secret identities on a new level

**fA/N= Howdy, y'all! I bet you're mad at me for leaving you hanging there. That might be a big mystery; it might be a little one that you'll find out about in a later chapter. I guess you'll just have to read on and be patient, won't you?**

**Remember, my flowers, only Vanessa's flock and the plot are mine. James Patterson is a male, and he has it easy because of that. And, I have perfect vision. He needs glasses (haha!).**

"Okay, kids, Angel, Cal, Gazzy, and Tiffany all go to that school over there." I point at the elementary building. "Amber and Nudge, you two go to that one." I point at the middle school.

"And you, Fang, Iggy, Dylan, Will and I will all go to the high school." Max points at the biggest of them all—the high school. It appears to have at least three floors. Every building is made of red brick; all of the entrance doors are Plexiglas with thick, green metal frames. Max and I usher the other off, then we turn to the others.

"I can't believe you're making us go to school, of all places," Fang mutters.

"I'd rather go back to Max's Home School," Iggy whispers.

"Yeah, only because you didn't pay attention to any of it because you couldn't read the words and had to have one of us read them to you," Max snaps.

He holds up his hands, palms out, in surrender. "Okay, okay, whatever."

I flick my hair behind my shoulder and start off to the school. I hear the others trot up behind me in less than a few seconds.

So, that's how we entered the school. I'm in almost black skinny jeans, a V-neck, navy blue, short-sleeve shirt, and a black leather jacket, my long, straight, black hair cascading across my back like a shawl. Fang is, of course, in black. Max is in a denim jacket, flare-leg blue jeans, and a regular white shirt. Iggy is in regular jeans and a purple T-shirt. Will is, also, in jeans and a black short-sleeve shirt. Dylan… Well, Dylan looks the best of us all, but he always does. He's in regular, almost-black jeans, like mine but not skinny, and a white, short-sleeve shirt that hugs his biceps perfectly. We all wear one of the same things, though, and that's our expressions. We all have that smirk that only bird kids who've beat up a 400-pound Eraser can possibly manage with as little difficulty as we do.

As we walk in, lots of the teens stare. Most of the girls' gazes are set on Dylan, and one even starts over to us with a smile, before he sets one of his (perfect) arms around my shoulders. That's not weird for me, because this is almost how I fell asleep last night, but it makes almost the entire girl club glare at me. Almost. One girl with short auburn hair that reminds me of Amber's hops up to us.

"Hi!" she says with a grin so big her cheeks must be made of rubber. "I was told we were getting some new kids, and I'm supposed to show you around! Oh, by the way, I'm Lucy!" She appears to be unaffected by Dylan, but Will catches her attention. I think only Max and I notice, though, because boys are always just so clueless.

"Hi, I'm Vanessa," I say, and the others follow suit, introducing themselves with just their name.

"Nice to meet you all! We all have permission to skip homeroom and first and even second hour if we need to, and I think we'll need to, 'cause this is a big school," Lucy says.

"Okay, then, why not we start with the office," I suggest, "and we can all get our schedules, too."

Lucy blushes a fierce maroon. "Oh, right. Right. Sorry, I'm new to this introduction stuff."

"It's okay, it's not like we know anything about this school, so you're still our superior," Max says.

"Oh. Right! Yeah, um, let's get going!" Lucy grabs my hand and tugs me along, past the staring kids and through another big glass door. Inside, there's a long desk, about four feet tall, which goes from about three feet from the right wall to about three feet from the left one. There are three single desks with ladies sitting behind them. One looks old, another looks to be in her early thirties, and the other looks to be about forty. All of them have light, light, light brown hair, almost blonde.

The middle-aged lady beckons us with a smile. "Good morning, students. I'm Ms. Andrea." She pronounced it like _ahn-dre-ah_.

"Good morning, Mo… er, Ms. Andrea," Lucy stutters.

I raise an eyebrow, meeting both Dylan and Max's eyes at the same time. Bird kids can do that, I have just found out.

Ms. Andrea pulls out six slips of paper and hands them to Lucy. "Here, you know their names, pass them out, hon, will you?"

"Okay, then, Ms. Andrea," Lucy says, grabbing the papers and smiling at the woman.

"You kids have fun on your tour!" Ms. Andrea dismisses us with a wave and stares intently at her computer screen. Before Lucy leads us out the door, she points at a door down a thin hallway. "That's the principal's office," she whispers.

"Oh, Mr. Crout?" I ask.

She stares at me with wide eyes. "You've met him?"

"Yeah, we have," Max says.

Lucy nods, showing us out the door. Most of the kids are gone now, and those who aren't don't stare much. Lucy shows us every room in the school. It turns out it has four floors, with an elevator only accessible to kids in wheelchairs. She shows us each the routes we have to take to get from class to class, and even where to go and what to do in case of a tornado or fire or lockdown. When she finishes, however, she rounds on Fang, Iggy, Dylan and Max and whispers, "Can I see them?"

"See what?" I ask.

"Your wings!" she answers, still trying to be quiet.

"Wings? How…" I trail off, staring at Fang.

"He has a blog," Max explains simply.

I give Fang a look that says, _A blog? Seriously?_ And I roll my eyes.

"No," Max says apologetically.

Lucy sighs. "Okay, then."

I smile at her and thank her, glancing at me schedule and then the clock. It's the middle of second hour, which, for me, is math. We've already compared our schedules, and it turns out, I'm in Dylan's homeroom, third hour, and sixth hour. Max, Will, and Iggy have the same homeroom and fourth hour, Max and I also have the same second hour, Fang, Iggy and I have the same fifth hour, and we all have the same lunch, thank God.

"So, off we go," I mutter, knowing Max and I will be walking together to our next class. We all disperse, and I think I hear Will laugh with Iggy at something, both heading the same direction since their classes are in the same hallway.

"Okay, Ness, the fourth floor?" Max asks.

"Yup," I say, taking the stairs three at a time. Max follows, and we take the stairs up from the first floor to the fourth without losing any breath. We whisper quietly, and I actually have to hold my mouth closed so I don't laugh. When we get to our classroom, I knock, since the door is locked. We wait, and we hear someone say, "You idiot, someone knocked! Let them in!" before the door opens. I glance at Max. The kid who opened the door has curly blonde hair and thick-framed sunglasses.

"Well, he-_llo_," he says flirtatiously. He sounds like a girl with a stuffy nose.

"Hi, we're new," I say.

"Oh, come in, come in!" a teacher calls from a plastic gray desk. We walk in, and he makes us introduce ourselves. We do, and we have to play this stupid name game. Once he's sure we know everyone's names, he has us sit in the two open seats in the very back, and with all the guys that think they're cool. They are, actually.

Not as cool as Dylan or any other bird kids, of course.

**Dylan's POV**

Have you every heard the phrase 'angry mob'? What about 'mob of teenage girls who wants you as a boyfriend'? I just made that one up, because that's what's mobbing me right now.

"Okay, class, this is Dylan, make him feel welcome, okay?" the young—probably in her late twenties—teacher says cheerfully.

"Oh, I'm sure that won't be a problem," I mutter under my breath. She either doesn't hear or pretends not to have heard. She gestures to one of the two open seats in the corner of the back row. I scan the rows of seats, hoping to find a path that doesn't bring me past a drooling girl. I don't find one.

A girl bursts through the door. "I'm sorry I'm late!" she says.

_Thank God, it's Vanessa, _I think, sighing mentally in relief.

The teacher smiles. "Oh, it's quite alright. It's not like we've started class, or anything."

I can see Vanessa's brain trying to detect any sarcasm. "Uh, yeah. So, um, where do I sit?" she, too, scans the room, and now the boys have a turn to drool. A pinprick of jealousy forms in the pit of my stomach when she meets a guy's eyes and he winks at her.

I point at the two in the back. "There."

She smiles at me in that way the only couples do at each other. "Okay, thanks, Dylan," she says, and we smile at the teacher and make our way to our seats.

The teacher begins to talk about a lot of stuff that I had already Googled, just to know. Her continuous voice drones on and on, but I know almost everything she says. My eyes drift to a lot of the boys, and almost all of them are trying to subtly stare at Vanessa. That's hard to do, since she sits in the back and they all sit in front of her. I don't see how the teacher doesn't notice them staring at the back, but she just keeps blaring on about something over and over again like a stupid broken record. Her teaching days probably won't be very long.

"And that, class, is the end of the hour! Have fun at lunch!" the teacher screeches. Vanessa and I stand, and a lot of the other kids do, too. But, just as we're all about to leave, the teacher says, "Vanessa, Dylan, you may go. All of you, I want you to stay here and stare," she draws a dot about the size of a baseball on the board, "at this. Maybe then you'll learn not to train your gaze at the back wall."

Vanessa giggles. Adorably. I set my arm around her shoulders again and we walk down the hall.

"Wow," she whispers gleefully, "that was pretty entertaining. Did you notice all the girls staring at you?"

"Did you notice all the guys staring at _you?_" I ask, unable to keep the jealousy from invading my voice.

She stops, pulling me to a short hallway that has a closet and leads to a door. "Listen, Dylan, I'm yours and you're mine. Okay? Let's not let a couple of eyes change that."

I drag her back to the hallway and we continue our walk to the stairs. "Okay. Sorry, I overreacted."

She nudges me with her hip. "Yes, you did. Don't do it again." The smile in her voice is unmistakable.

I roll my eyes as we begin down the stairs. The cafeteria is on the bottom floor, with the seniors. This school is really weird, since the senior classes are on the bottom, the freshmen are on the second floor, the juniors are on the third, and the sophomores are on the fourth.

We meet up with the others at lunch, and we all grin at each other, already planning what we're going to tell one another. The tables are round and seat twelve people, and when we sit down, a committee of 'popular' people joins us. We stare at them in silence until one of the girls with too much makeup clears her throat in what she probably thinks is prettily.

Don't try to clear your throat and be pretty at the same time.

"Hi, I'm Chloe," she says, smiling and showing us too-white teeth.

"Hi…" Vanessa says a bit warily. "I'm Veronica."

I stare at her in curiosity, but she winks at me. "Oh, ah, I'm Drew."

"Millicent," Max says quickly. Vanessa shoots her a _WTH? _look.

Fang says he's Nick, like he has before, I've been told. Iggy says he's Ian, and Will says he's Waldo, which Vanessa counters with, "Hey, found you!"

The populars stare at us like we're illegal aliens from Mexico. "Hmm, well, we were wondering if you needed a crowd to hang out with."

"No, we actually have our own. We're a… gang," Will says.

"A gang? What are you called?" Chloe asks.

"The Hawks," Max answers, causing snickers to erupt from all of us.

"You smoke?" a guy whispers, leaning in.

"Um, _no!_" Vanessa says, recoiling and fanning a hand in front of her nose. "Stay out of my face, tobacco breath! God…"

I glare at the guy, about to cuss, but Vanessa places a hand on my arm and tips her head at a marker sign. _PLEASE, DON'T SWEAR IN SCHOOL. IT'S VULGER! _

"Wow, spelled wrong," I mutter.

"Are you sure you don't need to hang out with anyone? We'd love to have you," Chloe says.

"We don't need you, okay? Seriously, you only want us 'cause we look so much better than you, bitch," Vanessa snaps.

Chloe flutters her long, mascara-covered eyelashes in surprise. "Ex_cuse_ me?"

"You're excused. Go." The tint of hatred that colors Vanessa's voice is only the kind she uses with Erasers.

Chloe blinks. She stands. "You'll regret this, hon." Then she struts away, twitching her butt.

"She's so familiar. An Eraser. Remember, Will? That wolfy girl in the cage across from us? The one who they called Carmen?" Vanessa whispers harshly.

"What? You're kidding, right? She looked way too normal, though!" Fang answers in a whisper.

She shakes her head. "No. We've gotta fake sick. Or just ditch."

"Ditching it is," Max says, standing and walking over to the door. We all follow her, Vanessa linking her arm through mine. As if claiming me. Maybe she is.

When we leave, Vanessa is gone in an instant. We all felt the air when she raced off, and we see her 'appear' at the door of the elementary school. She rakes her fingers through her wind-tossed hair and enters. In about five minutes, she emerges with the kids. She gestures at us, and then she's gone again, re-appearing at the middle school doors. She does the same thing she did with the kids, emerging five minutes later with Amber and Nudge at her heels. Angel, Gazzy, Cal, and Tiffany catch up with us, and with a sign from Vanessa, we take off. In the parking lot. Who cares, they've all read Fang's blog. They know there are winged kids out there. I turn my head and see Vanessa and the other girls taking off, too. We soar over the town and to our house. When we get there, Vanessa and Max don't say a word to anyone, but I see the look in their eyes. They're mad at themselves for trying that.

"Never again," I hear Vanessa murmur as she makes her way to my room. "Not ever."

I follow her. "Hey, Ness, you didn't know there would be Erasers there. It wasn't your fault."

She closes the door and locks it. "Whatever," she groans, falling onto the bed.

I sit next to her. "Vanessa. Look at me."

She groans again.

"_Vanessa._ Look at me."

She sits up on her elbows, staring at me intently.

"This wasn't your fault. You can't make the whitecoats leave us alone. They never will. That's not your fault, either. Like Louis Nizer said, 'when a man point a finger at someone else, he should remember that four of his fingers are pointing at himself'."

Vanessa bites her lip. "Uh-huh."

"Vanessa. Look right here." I point at my eyes. She complies. "See this? I wouldn't be here if not for the whitecoats." I take her hand. "See this? You wouldn't be here, either. None of us would."

"Can you just stop talking and kiss me already?" she mutters. I smile softly and I follow her orders, kissing her as gently as I had just smiled. Her fingers twine with mine, and I think that thought that so many have before.

_This is where I want to spend THE REST OF MY LIFE._


	18. She's gone! Or, is she?

**A/N= IT'S ALMOST THE END. MAYBE IT WILL BE THE NEXT CHATER, MAYBE NOT, BUT THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL. ENJOY, MY SUGER DUMPLING MIFFIN BABY PUNKIN PIES!**

**Dylan's POV**

I bite my lip as I stare at all of our flock. Their faces gleam with worry. Iggy had heard something last night, outside his window, and Angel had sensed another mind.

A mind made to kill.

Vanessa went to investigate, and she isn't back yet. She's officially been gone for—I glance at the clock; it reads 9:27 AM—six hours, forty-four minutes. How long does it take to fly around the area?

"Max…" I mutter, tipping my head towards the porch door. She leads the way, and I close the door behind me quietly. "Max, we have to find her."

"You think I don't know that?" she snaps back. "I want her here as much as you do, and I know about your lovey-dovey kisses at night. I _know_ you love her, and that's good for you. But she has to be here for more reasons than just you. You've got to stop being so self centered and pay attention to the flock! Did you know Amber was in a fight yesterday? No! Because you and Vanessa were in your room, doing who-knows-what! But she came out, and talked to everyone in turn, and what did you do? You sat there, in your cooped up little space, and you completely ignored the rest of us! Vanessa actually _cares _about the kids without boobs and the age of sixteen. You don't seem to. Why? Because to you, love is more important than family. We all love each other, Dylan, as a family! And you? Have you felt a seven-year-old's arms around you? Have you ever had a twelve-year-old girl cry on your shoulder? Or have you had to play doctor on a ten-year-old's _place _when he got poison ivy? No! You haven't, Dylan! You've been all you, you, you! Everything has to be perfect, or nothing is good enough for you! Well, none of us are perfect, you, especially! You're so selfish! We _care_ about each other, and you're just… Ah!" Max jumps off the balcony and flies off. "I'm looking for her alone!" she screams back over her shoulder, then she's gone.

I stand in a daze on the wood. No one's ever called me selfish before. Thinking back on it, though, I have been. I haven't been paying attention. I suppose none of us are perfect, but I knew that already. Perfect is just a silly myth that people like me dream about. I blink and take off, ignoring Max's 'alone'. I feel as if I can sense Vanessa. I can.

_Wow, Dylan. _I can practically see Angel's short blonde hair bouncing as she shakes her head when her voice rings through my mind._ Max is right. You can't even follow her directions. Let her do this. You can't always be the hero._

"I'm not always the hero!" I snarl. "Max is, and I'm sick of it! She gets all the glory! I deserve to be the victor this time! It's my turn! Erasers can eat Max, for all I care! She shouldn't be alive in the first place! At least I wasn't born in an egg! I was cloned from someone who was _born_ from a human mother! She should die!"

Angel's surprise comes to me in waves. I replay what I said. Why do I feel like I meant to say it? I feel as if I should immediately think _Crap, I didn't mean to do that!_ But I'm not. I feel as if I spoke what I believe. But why? I was originally meant to love Max. Why don't I? What's wrong with this picture?

I see something on the ground below me, but it's just a wolf. Not an Eraser. A wolf.

A smell drifts up to me. I can't figure it out, but it seems that every-so-often kind of familiar. I wonder what it could be, but I just turn around and head back to the house before Max figures out that I, too, left to search.

The first person I see is Max.

The second person I see is Angel, gripping Max's jacket sleeve. I wince. More yelling is predicted in my future.

"Dylan. This is what I mean. Selfish. Self absorbed. Self obsessed. You have to do what you want. Not what I want, not what the flock needs. What _you_ want. No one else." Max's voice is twined with pity.

"Look, Max…" I begin, but she cuts me off.

"Dylan, this was the last straw. Leave." She points to the west.

I stare in the direction of her finger. "You can't be serious."

"Why would I lie? Just leave. That was the last straw, like I said. Go."

"Max—"

"Go. _NOW."_

"As in, the area?"

"No," Max's voice gets hard, possibly from memories. "From this flock."

"M-Max!" I stutter before I step back. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying: leave this flock. You aren't welcome anymore."

Angel's knowing eyes blink up at me with a truth that only she would know. She knew this was coming. She knew, and she only told Max. Or did she tell Vanessa, too? But she would've stopped it form happening.

Right?

**Vanessa's POV**

I cringe as I run into a tree like a drunk. My lungs and my stomach area are killing me. Are they really, though? I wouldn't know about some internal bleeding I might have after those Enhanced ones attacked me by surprise. I hope I'm not, because that's the quickest way I can die. If I'm bleeding internally, I'll be dead within these next few hours.

A shape flies over me. I wish it's Mr. Supreme, but the Erasers shoved his dead body in my face.

The shape lands a few yards away from me. I don't think it sees me. Is it an Eraser? I pick up a rock and chuck it at the figure. I miss, but it grazes his arm. It spins around and grins when it sees me.

"Vanessa!" Dylan shouts.

I blink at him. My vision is fading, but I try not to show it. I can't exactly see out of the corners of my eyes. I can hardly walk straight. What was it those Erasers said? "You won't survive this." Maybe they're right. Maybe I won't.

"Vanessa!" Angel's sweet voice whispers. I turn again. Her blonde hair is a bit wild. I think to her, _Can you sense if I'm bleeding inside me?_

She closes her eyes, and then she shakes her head. "No."

Oh, goodie.

"Ness, I've got to tell you something." Dylan steps up close to me. "I've been banned from the flock."

"Why?" I ask.

"For being selfish. He's like Max used to be. He doesn't really care about the rest of us, only himself and you," Angel murmurs.

I stare at him. "Is that true?" I question, but I know that if Angel said it, it's as accurate as anything could ever be.

"Dylan. Why? You know that I love you, but not enough to ignore our—my—flock. If you don't care about the flock, then you don't care about me," I say, before turning to Angel and whispering for only her to hear, "Angel, hon, go tell Max to meet me at the Hollywood sign. 'Kay?"

Angel nods, flying off. I give Dylan a sad look, with a _don't follow me_ glare mixed in. I then leap into the air and fly off to Hollywood.

It's just like I remember it, but without everyone else. I smile as I relax on the Y. Just like when I came here alone before I met Max and everyone else.

In about an hour, Max arrives. She smiles at me and I cry on her shoulder about Dylan's selfishness. She hugs me like a true friend—no, a sister—and she murmurs comforting words in my ear. I tell her I'll stay here a night, in a hotel, and I know she'll be able to find me. Since, of course, I'll be in a small motel we can both see from here. She takes off at my request to go tell Dylan that I still like him, just a bit, and to inform the others of my mini vacation. Meanwhile, I soar off to the motel, check in, and hide in my little room, crying my eyes out once again.

**Third Person**

Max lands lightly on the wood. Dylan is reclining against the railing, peering into the window. Max growls at him. "Dylan! What are you doing?"

He leaps away, but he's pinned between Maximum and the rail and falls over the side. It would've been funny if she hadn't just had to ban him from the flock.

"I'm just checking to see if everyone's okay," he lies.

"Look, Dylan, that's your window. You were checking to see if anyone was in your room while you were gone." She scowls at him and begins to anger.

"I was not!" Lies are just weaving through his voice.

"I'm sick and tired of you lying to me!" she shouts.

"But I'm not lying!" he answers, just as loud.

Max recalls her reason for coming here, but in her fury she just spit out words. "Vanessa is dead! I found her body earlier on the Hollywood sign, so you can just live without a love!"

Dylan freezes. Max glares. The stars gleam. The wind stills.

Nothing moves.

"No," Dylan finally murmurs, breaking the silence.

"Yes," Maximum hisses. Her heartbeat speeds up, but she ignores it and continues what she started.

"She can't be!" he gasps.

"She is. Deal with it," Max struts into the house then, leaving Dylan gaping on the porch.

He leaps off of the porch and glides quickly to Hollywood. He searches the sign and everywhere around it.

Nothing.

He becomes desperate as his search deepens. He goes to households and asks if they've seen any bird kids recently. Most say no. Some just stare at his beauty. Others say yes, but they were in the circus.

Dylan flies to the Hollywood sign.

He sits on the Y.

He cries.

His tears water the grass below him. Far, far, below him.

His falling tears give him an idea.

He stands and stares down. The ground looks to be a good thirty-five feet down. Dylan soars into the air until he can barely breathe.

And then he tucks his wings tightly against his back and lets himself fall, fall, fall…

Right until he sees the blood spatter in front of his eyes as his body folds in on itself when he hits the ground.


	19. This is the end

**A/N= THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER. THE END OF THIS CERTAIN FANFICTION. THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL, BUT NOT FOR A WHILE. THOSE WHO SUBSCRIBED, SUBSCIBE TO MY ACCOUNT, SO YOU'LL KNOW WHEN I MAKE IT. **

I emerge from my crappy room at the motel. Something feels off. Something important.

The part that scares me the most is the fact that I felt this way before Justin died, but a bit less.

_What's going on?_ I think as I leave the building. The night is just leaking into day. The Hollywood sign is barely visible, only the tops of the letters can be seen. I fly up, but I lay on my back on the third O. I love the feeling of my body curving with the O, curled by gravity. I only wish Dylan were here to have his back crack and curve with mine on the O next to me. That would make this moment perfect, I think.

_No! Vanessa, he's too selfish! _My argumentative side shouts.

_He was selfish only because he wanted to find you. _Oh look, there's my sensible side.

_Hey, what's that smell? _My totally smart, random side comments.

I sit up. Yes, there is a peculiar smell in the air. It seems to be coming from just a few yards away. It smells like something I normally scent while I'm beating the crap out of Erasers. Rusty and salty, the odor is stuck to the air like mist on a hot, rainy day. I stand and look around. I see something on the ground and I leap down, my wings flipping out for a moment before folding back in as I land.

Is that… a body? It is! I leap over the brambles and kneel by the person. The scent clings to it, and I figure out the smell immediately.

Blood.

I hurry and turn the person over so I can see their face. It's so coated in blood; it looks like a thick red mask. I can't even see their face. I rip off my shirt so I'm only in my cami, spit on it, and I wipe the blood away. When I see the face, a teary gasp escapes me. "No… Dylan!"

**Third person, Max's flock**

_No, no, not Dylan, no! Who did this? Who? _Vanessa's furious, sorrowful thoughts reach Angel through all the haze that has been her day so far. The heartache that filled the thought could only be because of death. To Vanessa, it would be Dylan's death.

"Guys! Hey, guys!" she shouts. The others race into the living room from various spaces. "Dylan is dead."

**Vanessa's POV**

No.

No.

No.

No.

No!

This can't be happening. Dylan and I were practically meant for each other. Now he's dead. I couldn't prevent it, I couldn't stop it, and I couldn't even try to talk him out of following me. I could swear he didn't follow me, though. Did Max tell him? That's plausible. Not likely, but plausible. What did Max tell Dylan that made him come here looking for me?

"Oh my God! Did you see that? That guy jumped off of the sign!" I hear when I don't give enough attention to where my hearing takes me. I gasp. My legs carry me to a random library, and I push a guy out of the way to get a computer. He doesn't seem to mind. I get on Youtube and look up 'man jumping off Hollywood sign'. Tons of results come up, but I click on the first.

It shows a person holding a camera so their face can be seen, and the camera probably has a screen that can twist so he can see what he's filming, because he's staring a little off to the left. A small shape stands on the top of the Y, and it launches itself into the air, unfolding huge wings. The guy filming sees it, too, and he disappears to zoom in on the shape. It soars so high it's just a speck, almost smaller than a plane in the air, but then it folds its wings and starts to drop. Fast. I bite my lip and keep watching as the guy zooms in so far, his camera must've been in the ten thousands.

The figure's dark blonde hair whips past his perfectly tanned face in the wind. The man filming's voice says from the background, "Hey, that's that one guy from the flock, Dylan!"

I turn off the computer and thank the guy who let me use it. He nods and smiles at me, but I just nod numbly back and leave the library. My heart has been officially broken.

A day later, Enhanced ones find me in my motel room. I stare up at them with dead eyes. "Hi."

"What, no sarcastic comments on how we just broke in?" the one in front snarls.

"Nope."

He blinks. The others do, too. "Well then, we'll make this as painful as possible, okay?" he says, extending his claws and sneering.

I hold up my hands and recline against the pillows. "Go ahead. I don't care anymore. Kill me."

He blinks again, but I stare at him in boredom. "You're kidding, right?" he asks.

"No, I'm not. My soul mate just killed himself. I want to die as much as a cheetah who's lost its legs."

The Eraser shrugs. "All right, then. Have fun in Hell."

"I will. Have fun murdering innocent people."

"I plan on it!" he hisses, pouncing on me. Normally, I'd kick him away, laughing, and say, "Ha ha, got you! You guys never get any smarter!" But I don't. I _want_ to feel the icy grip of his claws around my throat, and I _want_ to feel the blood stream down my chest. I know I can't win this one, so what's the point of fighting? I would've died anyway, so why not just surrender and let them slaughter me like they've been trained to do? They deserve at least one victory.

I have about three thought as my scarlet blood seeps from the new deep, thick gashes in my neck.

1) _Dylan. I'm coming._

2) _Goodbye, Max and friends. I'll see you soon._

And number three, the one we've all been waiting for…

3) _Who killed Justin?_

The last thing I see is the sneering shadow of the Eraser as my whole world

fades

to

black.


	20. The Time Has Come

**The time has come. The long-awaited sequel of this story, called Through the Maze of Trees. Enjoy yourselves.**


End file.
